"IN    THE    TRENCHES 


BEFORE  SANTIAGO.' 


Hero  Tales  of  the 
American  Soldier  and  Sailor 


AS  TOLD  BY 


THE  HEROES 
THEMSELVES 
AND  THEIR 
COMRADES 


The  Unwritten  History  of  American  Chivalry 


ROCHESTER  BOOK  CONCERN 
ROCHESTER,  IND. 


COPYRIGHT,  1899 
A.  HOLLOWAY 


.DEDICATION. 


Department,  Washington. 

The  American  sailor  is  worthy  of  the 
name.  He  has  maintained  the  high 
prestige  of  the  men  who  during  the 
Revolution  and  the  War  of  1812  and 
the  civil  war  won  for  the  American 
navy  historic  renown.  He  is  intelli- 
gent, patriotic  and  animated  by  the 
spirit  of  the  Republic.  It  is  the  uni- 
versal testimony  of  naval  officers  that 
there  were  never  better  crews.  The 
navy  is  proud  of  the  American  sea- 
man and  marine.  Nothing  could  be 
finer  than  the  tribute  with  which  Cap- 
tain Evans  closes  his  report  of  the  part 
taken  by  the  navy  in  the  naval  battle 
off  Santiago: — 

"  I  cannot  express  my  admiration  for 
my  magnificent  crew.  So  long  as  the 
enemy  showed  its  flag  they  fought  like 
American  seamen ;  but  when  the  flag 
came  down  they  were  as  gentle  and 
tender  as  American  women." 


Secretary  of  the  Navy. 


War  Department,.  Washington. 

Tbe  American  soldier  needs  no  trib- 
ute from  me.  Nothing  that  I  might  say 
•would  add  to  the  glory  of  Us  name. 
The  campaign  of  Santiago  adds  a  new 
and  illustrious  page  to  the  history  of 
his  matchless  valor  and  indomitable 
spirit,  for  that  was  achieved  by  irresis- 
tible courage. 

In  spite  of  hardships  never  before  ex- 
perienced by  our  army,  and  notwith- 
standing that  the  American  forces  were 
confronted  by  an  enemy  of  great  courage 
and  of  greater  numbers,  intrenched  in  a 
position  that  seemed  madness  to  as- 
sault, the  American  army  —  the  Ameri- 
can soldier  —  by  individual  bravery  won 
a  victory  equal  to  any  in  history. 

Manila  and  Porto  Rico  would  have 
witnessed  like  deeds  of  daring  had 
opportunities  been  given. 

The  Amerkan  soldier  is  a  patriot 
and  in  the  broadest  sense  a  man. 


Secretary  of  War. 


w 


w 


2048493 


GLORY  CROWNS  THE  BRAVE. 


MERICA,  grand  in  her  splendid  isolation,  no 
less  than  in  her  incomparable  resources  and 
militant  mightiness,  has  felt  so  secure  of  her 
supremacy  in  the  Western  hemisphere  that 
the  energies,  the  talents,  and  the  ambitions 
of  our  people  have  been  devoted  to  those 
peaceful  pursuits  which  have  for  their 
aim  personal  advancement,  national  pres- 
tige, and  a  wide  dissemination  of  those 
principles  upon  which  human  liberty  and  the 
peaceful  development  of  the  world  are  founded. 
Our  conquests  have  never  been  made  by  sword  ; 
our  growth  as  a  nation  has  not  been  by  accre- 
tions wasted  from  weaker  powers  ;  our  strength 
is  not  derived  from  the  blood  of  victims,  and  our  conscience  is  not  harrowed 
by  spectres  of  hate  and  oppression.  Thus,  content  in  our  national  exclusive- 
ness,  and  punctilious  in  our  sense  of  justice  and  ^-humanity,  we  have  been 
facetiously  designated,  by  Caesars  of  militarism,  as  a  nation  of  shopkeepers 
and  as  devotees  of  commercialism,  who,  mindful  only  of  dollars,  recoil  at 
any  suggestion  of  gunpowder.  We  have  been  patient  in  the  face  of 
contumely,  self-possessed  under  painful  provocation,  but  never  indifferent  to 
the  cry  of  distress,  nor  deaf  to  appeals  of  the  suffering.  Other  nations,  drunk 
with  ambition,  glorying  in  aggrandizement,  cannot  comprehend  the  great 
American  Republic,  and  thus  characteristically  misjudge  our  purposes,  and 
condemn  the  administration  of  our  Government.  Our  war  with  Spain  has 
served  to  disillusion  the  statesmen  of  Europe,  to  quicken  their  slow 
intelligence,  to  flood  their  darkened  understanding,  and  to  give  them  an 
appreciation  of  the  magnitude  of  our  capabilities  as  a  nation  and  our 
patriotism  as  a  people.  It  has  shown  them  that  while  we  love  money,  and 
are  devoted  to  building  up  our  fortunes,  to  increasing  our  benefits,  and  to 
enriching  our  minds,  we  are  more  deeply  attached  to  our  homes,  and  that 


iv  GLORY  CROWNS  THE  BRAVE. 

our  love  of  country  is  equaled  only  by  our  sympathies  for  those  struggling 
in  the  grip  of  tyrants. 

If  Americans  have  any  one  thing  to  regret,  it  is  the  fact  that  we  are  not 
fully  appreciative  of  our  own  history,  having  failed  to  study  it  as  the  subject 
deserves.  This  is  natural  to  a  people  whose  peace  has  been  so  seldom 
disturbed  that  it  is  hard  to  realize  that  perils  have  been  experienced  and 
great  victories  won.  Notwithstanding  we  are  a  youthful  republic,  we  may 
justly  exult  in  the  truth  that  we  are,  historically  considered,  the  most 
picturesque  nation  of  the  globe,  and  unique  not  only  for  being  the  most 
powerful  government  ever  instituted  by  man,  but  because  our  unexampled 
greatness  has  been  attained  in  a  single  century,  and  that  in  our  several  wars 
we  have  never  once  been  defeated.  The  more  thoroughly  we  study  the 
history  of  our  country  the  better  citizens  we  become,  because  the  tendency 
is  to  intensify  our  patriotism  by  giving  us  a  higher  conception  of  the 
domestic  blessings  that  we  possess  as  sovereigns. 

How  very  few  of  us  even  know  that  since  the  War  of  the  Revolution 
America  has  been  engaged  in  no  less  than  seventeen  different  conflicts,  much 
less  realize  their  causes  and  results ;  and  yet  each  one  has  been  a  distinct 
step  in  the  work  of  founding  and  developing  the  nation.  History  is  not  so 
impressively  taught  by  narration  as  by  pictures ;  the  artist  is  more  graphic 
than  the  writer,  because  the  eye  comprehends  quicker  than  the  intelligence, 
while  the  pleasure  is  more  acute  and  lasting.  For  this  all-sufficient  reason 
the  publishers  of  this  volume,  dedicated  to  acts  of  patriotic  daring,  have 
wisely  determined  to  interest  and  instruct  Americans  in  the  history  of  our 
beloved  country,  by  splendidly  illustrating  and  presenting  in  graphic  detail 
stories  of  the  most  thrilling  and  valorous  deeds  performed  by  the  brave  men 
who  have  carried  our  flag  to  victory  on  land  and  sea,  and  thus  glorified  the 
nation.  A  higher  purpose  cannot  be  conceived,  since  its  fulfillment  presents 
in  the  most  lucid,  authentic  and  impressive  manner  the  heroic  incidents  that 
have  punctuated  and  exalted  our  history  as  the  grandest,  liberty-loving  and 
freedom-insuring  republic  of  any  age. 

J.  W.  BUEL. 


PAGE. 

A  Memorable  Speech.     By  President  McKinley 33-36 

Mighty  State  Secrets  of  the  Late  War.    By  ex-Minister  to  Spain,  Stewart  L.  Woodford  .  36-38 

The  Prelude  to  an  Empire's  Fall 38-43 

Three  Episodes  in  History 43~44 

The  "  Virgiiiius  "  Massacre.    By  a  Survivor 45 -47 

Perils  of  the  Havana  Blockade.     By  F.  E.  Chadwick,  Captain  of  the  "  New  York"    .  47-52 

Bombardment  of  San  Juan.     By  Seaman  O'Neill,  of  the  "Detroit"     .......  53~54 

The  Battles  about  Santiago.     By  J.  C  Breckenridge,  Inspector-General  of  the  Army  .  54-58 

Dewey's  Victory  in  Manila  Bay.     By  E.  W.  Harden 5<H>7 

Romance  of  One  of  Dewey's  Gunners.     By  a  Shipmate 67-69 

Assault  and  Capture  of  Manila.     By  Sidney  May 70-72 

Our  Soldiers'  Song.     By  David  Graham  Adee 73 

Just  before  the  Battle  of  El  Caney 74-78 

Heroic  Charge  on  San  Juan.     By  General  J.  Ford  Kent 78-82 

How  Ham.  Fish  Met  His  Death.     By  a  Correspondent 82-86 

Facts  about  the  Philippine  People.     By  Captain  P.  C.  March 86-89 

The  Historic  Engagement  in  Manila  Bay.     By  Admiral  George  Dewey 89-91 

The  Story  of  Manila's  Fall.     By  Major-General  Wesley  Merritt      92-96 

Our  Battles  with  the  Filipinos 97-108 

Shall  We  Keep  the  Philippines.     By  Whitelaw  Reid • 108-110 

Shall  We  Keep  the  Philippines.     By  William  J.  Bryan 111-114 

An  Audience  with  Aguinaldo.     By  J.  D.  Hallowell 115-116 

Narrow  Escape  from  an  Awful  Fate 117 

The  Battle  of  Las  Quasimas.     By  Arthur  T.  Cosby. 118-120 

The  Answer .- 120 

Sanguinary  San  Juan  Hill.     By  Lieutenant  Herbert  H.  True 121-122 

High  Old  Jinks  at  Santiago.     By  Sergeant  Ousler 122-126 

Praise  from  the  Foe 127-128 

Most  Heroic  Act  of  the  War '. 128-134 

Events  following  the  Sinking  of  the  "Merrimac."     By  Richmond  P.  Hobson  ....  134-138 

Waiting  to  Rescue  Hobson.     By  Ensign  Powell 139-140 

Sinking  of  the  "Merrimac."     By  Richmond  P.  Hobson 141-142 

Great  Sea  Battles  Our  Navy  Has  Won.     By  J.  W.  Buel 143-148 

The  Great  Naval  Battle  before  Santiago.     By  John  R.  Spear 148-162 

Terrific  Effects  of  Our  Big  Guns.     By  Paul  St.  C.  Murphy 163-165 

The  Deadliest  Vessel  Ever  Conceived.     By  Harry  D.  Hallmark 166-170 

(v) 


vi  .  CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

How  We  Annihilated  Cervera's  Squadron.     By  Captain  R.  D.  Evans,  of  the  "Iowa"  171-176 

Was  It  Sampson,  or  Was  It  Schley  ? 177 

Removal  of  a  Jammed  Shell  while  Under  Fire.     By  Paul  St.  C.  Murphy 177-179 

Destruction  of  Cervera's  Torpedo  Boats.     By  Lieutenant  Richard  Wainwright  ....  179-181 

The  Cliffs  of  Santiago.     By  A.  B.  De  Mille 182 

Story  of  a  Torpedo-boat  Destroyer    .       .       183-184 

Success  of  Our  Army  in  Cuba.     By  Major-General  Joseph  Wheeler 185-186 

Bombardment  of  Santiago.     By  a  Seaman  of  the  "  New  York  " 186-189 

The  Story  of  Santiago's  Downfall.     By  Major-General  William  R.  Shafter 189-197 

General  Shafter's  Address  to  His  Army 198-199 

The  Santiago  and  Porto  Rico  Campaigns.     By  General  Nelson  A.  Miles 199-204 

Capture  of  the  Blockhouse  on  San  Juan.     By  Theodore  Roosevelt 204-207 

How  Cervera's  Squadron  Was  Beaten.     By  Rear- Admiral  W.  S.  Schley 208-210 

Greatest  Naval  Fight  of  Modern  Times.     By  Commodore  John  W.  Philip 211-215 

A  Prayer.     By  S.  Weir  Mitchell 216 

First  American  Newspaper  in  Santiago 217-219 

Brave  Soldiers  Who  Have  Confessed  to  a  Dread  of  Warfare 220-221 

Story  of  a  Red  Cross  Nurse.     By  J.  Helen  Bull 221-223 

Hospital  Conditions  at  Ponce 224-225 

Yellow  Fever  Among  Our  Soldiers.     By  Rev.  Dr.  Henry  C.  McCook 225-228 

Bravest  Deeds  Performed  by  American  Sailors.     By  J.  W.  Buel 228-234 

Strange  Customs  of  Our  West  Indies  Neighbors.     By  a  Porto  Rican 235-239 

A  Sketch  of  Aguinaldo.     By  J.  W.  Buel 239-241 

The  Capture  of  Guam.     By  Lieutenant  Braunersreuther 242-243 

Shot  and  Shell  in  the  Combat  with  Cervera.     By  Rear-Admiral  W.  T.  Sampson  .    .    .  244-250 

Life  Among  the  Philippines.     By  Dean  C.  Worcester,  of  the  Philippine  Commission    .  251-254 

The  Filipino  Insurrection.     By  a  Member  of  the  Philippine  Commission 254-262 

Stories  of  the  Officers  of  Cervera's  Squadron.     By  Captain  Casper  F.  Goodrich,  of  the 

"•St.  Louis" '. 263-267 

The  Struggle  of  Our  Army  Before  Santiago.     By  James  Creelman 267-274 

The  Twentieth  Century  America    . 275-276 

He  Must  Die  for  the  Flag.     By  an  Old  Comrade 276-278 

Ceremonies  of  the  Occcupation  of  Havana 279-284 

Gallant  Captain  Leary 285-287 

Dewey,  as  Viewed  by  an  English  Officer.     By  Captain  Edward  Fraser 288-291 

An  Interrupted  Bath 291-292 

Secrets  of  Spain's  Red  Book 292-301 

Courageous  Act  of  Ensign,  Ellis 302-303 

Honoring  a  Dead  Foe,  the  Spanish  Hero  of  El  Caney 304-306 

Character  of  the  Filipinos.     By  A.  C.  Buell 306-310 

Under  Two  Flags.     By  an  Old  Comrade 310-314 

Song  of  the  Battleship  Stokers.     By  Katharine  Coolidge 314 

How  it  Feels  to  be  Under  Fire.     Byjno.  G.  Winter,  Jr 3I5~3i6 

When  the  Great  Gray  Ships  Come  In.     By  Guy  W.  Carryl ...  317 

American  Patriotism  in  War.     By  Carl  Schurz 318-320 

Song  of  the  Thirteen-Inch  Gun.     ByJ.  H.  Bates,  Jr 321-322 

Some  Thrilling  Dreams.     By  Frederick  Remington 322-325 

A  Frightful  Experience.     By  a  Former  Naval  Officer 326-328 

The  Eagle's  Song.     By  Richard  Mansfield 328-329 

Full  Text  of  the  Peace  Treaty  Between  Spain  and  the  United  States 33o~333 

Sonic  Interesting  Statistics  of  the  War     •    •    .    .    , ft.  334~338 


CONTENTS.  vii 

PAGE. 

The  War's  Cost  and  its  Results 338-339 

Complete  Chronological  History  of  Our  War  with  Spain 340-347 

Dear  Old  "Yankee  Doodle" 348-350 

Our  Last  Great  Battle  with  the  Indians.  By  J.  W.  Buel 350-352 

Brave  Women  Nurses  on  the  Field  of  Battle.  By  Hannah  P.  Westfall 353-354 

An  Early  Martyr  of  the  Civil  War.  By  Wilson  Conroy 355~36o 

Brother  and  I.  By  Matthew  H.  Peters 360-362 

A  Possibility.  By  Charles  W.  Burpee 362-366 

An  Episode  of  Bull  Run.  By  William  H.  Henry 367-368 

Murfreesboro — A  Reverie.  ByJ.  H.  Carney 369-370 

Last  Victory  of  the  Lost  Cause.  By  Colonel  William  H.  Stewart 370-372 

An  Escape  from  Andersonville.  By  Francis  Wallace 373~375 

A  Gallant  Defence.  By  Lieutenant  R.  H.  Jayne 375-377 

Have  You  Heard  of  Our  Land  ?  By  J.  Waller  Henry 378-379 

Marse  Billy's  Close  Call.  By  Pauline  S.  Colyar 380-383 

War  Sketches.  By  General  Horatio  C.  King 384-390 

When  You  Wore  the  Yankee  Blue.  By  John  Talman 390-392 

The  Charge  of  Pickett's  Division.  By  James  H  Walker 392-395 

Southern  Boys  at  West  Point.  By  Thos.  W.  Hall 396-398 

Reminiscences  of  Stonewall  Jackson.  By  George  B.  McClellan,  Jr 399-4°3 

With  Buchanan  on  the  Ram  "Tennessee."  By  D.  B.  Conrad,  Fleet  Surgeon  of  the 

C.  S.  Navy 403-415 

Furling  of  the  Battle  Flags  at  Appomattox.  By  William  H.  Stewart 416-419 

The  Old  Gray  Coat,  a  Pathetic  War  Incident.  By  William  H.  Bennett 419-424 

The  Deserter's  Story.  By  Leib  Porter 424-428 

The  Author  of  "  My  Maryland."  By  Eugene  L.  Didier 429-430 

After  Many  Years.  By  a  Union  Veteran 43*-433 

General  E.  Kirby  Smith.  By  Geo.  P.  Northrop 433~436 

A  Life  Sketch  of  Admiral  George  Dewey  .  .  .  •  • 436-444 

The  Grandeur  of  Our  Country '  i' 444-446 

A  Brace  of  Splendid  War  Stories.  By  W.  W.  Byam  ••....  436-452 

Nicknames  of  1861-1865 453 

General  Taylor's  Victory  at  Buena  Vista.  By  Edward  S.  Ellis 454~455 

For  Texas  Independence.  Battle  of  the  Alamo.  By  Senora  Candelaria,  the  Only 

Survivor • 456-462 

Decatur,  the  Yankee  Tar.  By  Colville  Baldwin 462-470 

Ninety  Men  Against  2,000.  By  Lieutenant  R.  H.  Jayne 471-476 

Death  of  General  Warren.  By  Epes  Sargeant  476-477 

Patriotic  Deeds  of  American  Women.  By  J.  W.  Buel 477-480 

The  First  American  Revolution.  By  Mrs.  N.  S.  Stowell 480-481 

The  Story  of  Andrew  Jackson.  By  John  J.  Cushman 482-488 

General  Scott's  Emergency  Transports.  By  Isaac  T.  Smith 488-491 

Our  Most  Serious  Battles  with  the  Filipinos 492-500 

Capture  of  Malolos,  the  Filipino's  Capital 500-504 


4  b 

\  ^<flfi--9/fr*^  f 


, 


\ 


ILLUSTRATIONS  > 


V(B 


C&         I  ^^^r»'.^    ^    -w.-^v"^^    ~  I         ^ 


An  Insurgent  Messenger  Conveying  News  of  American  Intercession  to  the  Cuban  Camp. 

American  Assault  on  the  Spanish  Intrenchnients  at  El  Cauey,  July  2. 

American  Troops  Carrying  the  Spanish  Earthworks  at  El  Caney,  July  2. 

Shells  from  Sampson's  Squadron  Bursting  in  the  Streets  of  Santiago. 

Spaniards  Looting  Houses  in  Santiago  Just  Before  the  Surrender. 

Landing  of  American  Troops  at  Cienfuegos  May  n. 

Scenes  in  and  about  Cienfuegos, 

Hobson  and  His  Men  Leaving  the  Sinking  "  Merrimac"  After  Her  Destruction. 

The  American  Army  Investing  Santiago. 

Death  of  Ensign  Bagley  and  Four  of  the  Crew  of  the   "  Winslow  "  at  Cardenas  Bay,  May  u. 

The  "  Brooklyn  "  Chasing  the  Spanish  Cruiser  "  Cristobal  Colon." 

Cervera's  Squadron  Coming  Out  of  Santiago  Harbor,  July  3. 

Destruction  of  Cervera's  Squadron  by  Schley's  Ships,  July  3. 

Scene    in   the   Boiler  Room   of  the    "Brooklyn"    During  the   Engagement  with  Cervera's 

Squadron. 

Captain  Evans  Receiving  Cervera  on  Board  the  "Iowa"  After  the  Surrender. 
Admiral  Cervera  and  His  Principal  Officers. 
Capron's  Battery  Taking  Position  on  the  Hill  above  Caney. 
Gallant  Defence  of  Camp  McCalla,  June  u. 

Bombardment  of  San  Juan,  Porto  Rico,  by  Sampson's  Squadron,  May  12. 
The  Invasion  of  Porto  Rico  by  Miles'  Army,  July  25. 
Battle  of  San  Juan— Charge  up  the  Hill. 
Capron's  Battery  in  Action  Before  Santiago.      » 
Opening  of  the  Battle  at  Las  Guasimas. 
Surrender  of  General  Toral  to  General  Shafter,  June  17. 
The  Incident  of  Surrender  Under  the  now  Famous  Tree. 
War  Map  of  the-World,  Showing  Distances— Double  Page. 
The  Great  Naval  Battle  in  Manila  Bay,  May  I. 

Dewey's  Squadron  Destroying  Montojo's  Ships  and  the  Forts  at  Cavite. 
Scene  in  the  Turret  of  the  "  Olympia"  During  the  Battle  in  Manila  Bay. 

(viii) 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  be 

The  "  Olympia  "  Leading  the  Fighting  Line  at  the  Naval  Battle  of  Manila. 

The  Astor  Battery  Going  into  Action  at  Manila. 

A  Block  House  Near  Manila  Captured  by  the  Astor  Battery,  August  13. 

A  12-inch  Krupp  Gun  Mounted  by  Insurgents  at  Cavite. 

Dock  of  Manila,  Showing  the  Landing  of  Ammunition  Cases. 

View  of  a  Suburb  of  Manila. 

Etnilio  Aguinaldo,  President  of  the  Insurgent  Philippine  Republic. 

Map  Showing  Lines  of  American  Troops  and  Positions  Captured  from  Filipinos. 

A  Cordage  Factory  and  Nipa  Hut  for  Drying  Manila  Hemp. 

A  Sugar  Manufactory  in  Manila. 

Filipino  Village  on  the  Island  of  Panay. 

Attack  on  Caloocan  by  General  Otis  and  Supporting  War  Ships,  February  10,  1899. 

Filipino  Women  Bathing  in  the  Pasig  River.    • 

Lunette  and  1 2-inch  Krupp  Gun  Defending  Cavite. 

Loading  Commissary  Stores  at  the  Pasig  River  Wharf. 

Types   of  the    Filipinos — Cockfighters,  Female  Water    Carrier,  Aboriginal  Negrito,  Native 

Women  Shelling  Corn. 

Native  Washerwomen  of  Manila  Crossing  a  Draw  Bridge  over  the  City  Walls. 
The  Poor  of  Manila  Reduced  to  Subsistence  on  Fish,  During  the  Siege  of  the  City. 
Representation  of  Modern  Battleships  and  Torpedo  Boats  in  Action — Double  Page. 
Loading  Transport  Ships  at  Tampa  with  Army  Supplies. 
On  the  Watch  for  Spanish  Vessels  off  the  Cuban  Coast. 
Off  for  the  War. 

Captain  Fry  of  the  "  Virginius  "  Taking  Leave  of  His  Companions  Before  Their  Execution. 
Spanish  Officers  Riding  over  the  Bodies  of  the  Executed  Crew  of  the  "Virginius,"  November 

8,  1873. 

The  Harbor  of  Santiago  de  Cuba. 

Scenes  in  and  around  Tampa  Before  the  Start  for  Cuba . 
The  Spanish  Defence  of  San  Juan  Hill. 
Cruiser  "  Brooklyn  "  Capturing  a  Spanish  Sailing  Vessel. 
Hill  near  Baiquiri  where  Trumpeter  Platt  Hoisted  the  American  Flag. 
Seven-inch  Siege  Gun  in  Action  Before  Santiago. 
American  Troops  Landing  at  Baiquiri. 
Burrowe's  Dynamite  Gun  at  the  Siege  of  Santiago. 
Unloading  Mules  from  a  Transport  off  the  Coast  of  Cuba. 
Wet  Passage  of  a  Drafted  Passenger. 

The  Signal  Corps  Stringing  Telegraph  Wires  in  Porto  Rico. 
Capture  of  a  Blockhouse  near  Coamo,  Porto  Rico,  August  9. 
Spanish  Soldiers  Forcing  Passage  of  a  Cuban  Swamp. 
Scenes  in  San  Juan,  Porto  Rico. 

The  Hand-to-Hand  Struggle  for  San  Juan  Hill,  July  2. 
Pneumatic  Dynamite  Guns  of  the  "Vesuvius," 
The  Signal  Station  at  Sandy  Hook. 


x  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

The  Army  Preparing  to  Move  from  Tampa. 

Street  Scenes  in  Havana. 

Welcoming  Return  of  Our  Victorious  Fleet. 

President  McKinley  and  General  Miles  Reviewing  Troops  at  Camp  Alger. 

The  Last  Man  on  Board  Troop  Ship  for  Manila. 

Landing  Horses  from  Transports  off  Siboney. 

Spanish  Outposts  in  Cuba;  Stockade  of  Giant  Cacti. 

The  American  Advance  Line  Before  Santiago. 

Spanish  Soldier  Making  Observations  from  a  Palm  Tree  on  San  Juan  Hill. 

The  Astor  Battery  at  Practice  Near  Manila. 

Shipping  Siege  Guns  at  Tampa  for  the  Invasion  of  Cuba. 

Transports  Conveying  Troops  to  Cuba. 

The  "  St.  Paul  "  Repulsing  the  Spanish  Torpedo  Boat  "  Terror." 

Meeting  of  Generals  Shafter  and  Toral  to  Arrange  the  Terms  of  Santiago's  Surrender. 

The  Sixth  Cavalry  Hauling  Pine  Boughs  to  Make  Shelter  Tents. 

The  Tenth  Dragoons,  Colored,  at  Skirmish  Practice. 

Our  Army  at  Tampa.     A  Company  Mess  at  Dinner. 

Havana  Harbor,  Showing  Forts  and  Anchorage  of  the  "  Maine." 

A  Company  of  Roosevelt's  Rough  Riders. 

The  First  Flag  of  Truce.     Member  of  the  Red  Cross  Presenting  His  Passport. 

Departure  of  Transport  Vessels  from  Tampa,  June  12. 

The  Rough  Riders  Charging  Up  San  Juan  Hill,  July  I. 

A  Cuban  Vidette. 

Loading  Transport  at  Tampa. 

Flight  of  the  Red  Skins  at  the  Battle  of  Bear  Paw  Mountain. 

Dash  «>f  Wilcox's  Battery  at  Gettysburg,  July  2,  1863. 

The  "  Albemarle  "  Ramming  the  "  Southfield, "  April  20,  1863. 

The  Advance  Guard. 

Battle  of  Kenesaw  Mountain,  June  22,  1864. 

The  Recall.     Pathetic  Incident  at  the  Battle  of  Spottsylvania,  May  10,  1864. 

Sheridan's  Charge  at  Winchester,  August  12,  1864. 

Hooker's  Assault  at  Battle  of  Lookout  Mountain,  November  24,  1863. 

Battery  "H,"  of  Ohio,  in  Action. 

Bombardment  of  Vera  Cruz,  March  23-29,  1847. 

Death  of  Lawrence  in  the  Engagement  Between  the  "  Chesapeake"  and  "  Shannon,"  June  I, 

1813. 

The  Battle  of  Chippewa,  July  25,  1814. 

The  First  Shots  for  American  Independence,  April  19,  1775. 

Engagement  Between  the  "  Bon  Homme  Richard  "  and  "  Serapis,"  September  23,  1779. 
The  Boston  Massacre,  March  5,  1770. 

The  Battle  of  Saratoga,  Wounding  of  Arnold,  October  12,  1777. 
Batt'e  of  Camden  and  Death  of  General  De  Kalb,  August  16,  1780. 
Map  of  the  Country  through  which  the  Filipino  Insurgents  were  Driven  by  the  American 

Troops. 


A  MEMORABLE  SPEECH. 

BY 


N'OT  since  Lincoln  delivered  his  most  famous  speech  at  Gettysburg, 
imperishable  as  is  his  name  and  deeds,  has  any  public  man  spoken 
so  eloquently  to  the  people  as  did  President  McKinley  at  a  peace 
celebration  in  Atlanta,  Georgia.  December  18,  1898.     His  patriotic 
and  sublime  utterances  upon  that  occasion  will  survive  and  thrill  the  hearts 
of  millions  in  the  centuries  to  come.     He  said : 

I  cannot  withhold  from  this  people  my  profound  thanks  for  their  hearty 
reception  and  the  good  will  which  they  have  shown  me  everywhere  and  in 
every  way  since  I  have  been  their  guest.  I  thank  them  for  the  opportunity 
which  this  occasion  gives  me  of  meeting  and  greeting  them,  and  for  the 
pleasure  it  affords  me  to  participate  with  them  in  honoring  the  army  and 
the  navy,  to  whose  achievements  we  are  indebted  for  one  of  the  most  bril- 
liant chapters  of  American  history. 

Other  parts  of  the  country  have  had  their  public  thanksgivings  and 
jubilees  in  honor  of  the  historic  events  of  the  past  year,  but  nowhere  has 
there  been  greater  rejoicing  than  among  the  people  here,  the  gathered  repre- 
sentatives of  the  South.  I  congratulate  them  upon  their  accurate  observa- 
tion of  events  which  enabled  them  to  fix  a  date  which  insured  them  the 
privilege  of  being  the  first  to  celebrate  the  signing  of  the  treaty  of  peace  by 
the  American  and  Spanish  Commissioners.  Under  hostile  fire  on  a  foreign 
soil,  fighting  in  a  common  cause,  the  memory  of  old  disagreements  has 
faded  into  history.  From  camp  and  campaign  there  comes  the  magic  healing 
which  has  closed  ancient  wounds  and  effaced  their  scars. 

For  this  result  every  American  patriot  will  forever  rejoice.  It  is  no 
small  indemnity  for  the  cost  of  war. 

3  (33) 


34  A  MEMORABLE  SPEECH  BY  PREvSIDENT  McKINLEY. 

This  government  has  proved  itself  invincible  in  the  recent  war,  and  out 
of  it  has  come  a  nation  which  will  remain  indivisible  forever  more. 

No  worthier  contributions  have  been  made  than  by  the  people  of  these 
Southern  States.  When  at  last  the  opportunity  came  they  were  eager  to 
meet  it  and  with  promptness  re.e  Bonded  to  the  call  of  the  country.  Intrusted 
with  the  able  leadership  of  m^n  uear  to  them,  who  had  marched  with  their 
fathers  under  another  flag,  now  fighting  under  the  old 

fia^  aSain»  they  have  gloriously  helped  to  defend  its  spot- 
less  folds  and  added  new  lustre  to  its  shining  stars.  That 
flag  has  been  planted  in  two  hemispheres,  and  there  it  remains,  the  symbol 
of  liberty  and  law,  of  peace  and  progress. 

Who  will  withdraw  from  the  people  over  whom  it  floats  its  protecting 
folds? 

The  victory  we  celebrate  is  not  that  of  a  ruler,  a  President,  or  a  Con- 
gress, but  of  the  people.  An  army  whose  valor  we  admire,  and  a  navy  whose 
achievements  we  applaud,  were  not  assembled  by  draft  or  conscription,  but 
from  voluntary  enlistments.  The  heroes  came  from  civil  as  well  as  military 
life.  Trained  and  untrained  soldiers  wrought  our  triumphs. 

The  peace  we  have  won  is  not  a  selfish  truce  of  arms,  but  one  whose 
conditions  presage  good  to  humanity. 

The  domains  secured  under  the  treaty  yesterday,  to  be  acted  upon  by 
the  Senate,  came  to  us  not  as  the  result  of  a  crusade  of  conquest,  but  as  the 
reward  of  temperate,  faithful  and  fearless  response  to  the  call  of  conscience, 
which  could  not  be  disregarded  by  a  liberty-loving  and  Chrjstian  people. 

We  have  so  borne  ourselves  in  the  conflict  and  in  our  intercourse  with 
the  powers  of  the  world  as  to  escape  complaint  or  complication  and  give 
universal  confidence  of  our  high  purpose  and  unselfish  sacrifices  for  struggling 
peoples. 

The  task  is  not  fulfilled.  Indeed,  it  is  only  just  begun.  The  most 
serious  work  is  still  before  us,  and  every  energy  of  heart  and  mind  must  be 
bent  and  the  impulses  of  partisanship  subordinated  to  its  faithful  execution. 
This  is  the  time  for  earnest,  not  faint,  hearts.  "New  occasions  teach  new  duties." 

To  this  nation  and  every  nation  there  come  formative  periods  in  its  life 

and  history.     New  conditions  will  be  met  only  by  new  methods.     Meeting 

these  conditions  hopefully  and  facing  them  bravely  and 

The  Life  of  the     wisely  are  to  be  the  mightiest  test  of  American  virtue's 

atio.n    ave,     y     capacity.     Without  abandoning  past  limitations,  traditions 

the  Valor  of  its 


Defender*.        an&  principles,  but  by  meeting  present  opportunities  and 
obligations,  we  shall  show  ourselves  worthy  of  the  great 
trust  which  civilization  has  imposed  upon  us. 


A  MEMORABLE  SPEECH  BY  PRESIDENT  McKlNLEY.  35 

At  Bunker  Hill,  liberty  was  at  stake  ;  at  Gettysburg,  the  Union  was  the 
issue  ;  before  Manila  and  Santiago,  our  armies  fought  not  for  gain  or  revenge, 
but  for  human  rights.  They  contended  for  the  freedom  of  the  oppressed,  for 
whose  welfare  the  United  States  has  never  failed  to  lend  a  hand  to  establish 
and  uphold,  and,  I  believe,  never  will.  The  glories  of  the  war  cannot  be 
dimmed,  but  the  result  will  be  incomplete  and  unworthy  of  us  unless 
supplemented  by  civil  victories,  harder  possibly  to  win,  in  their  way  no  less 
indispensible. 

We  will  have  our  difficulties  and  our  embarrassments.  They  follow  all 
victories  and  accompany  all  great  responsibilities.  They  are  inseparable 
from  every  great  movement  or  reform.  But  American  capacity  has 
triumphed  over  all  in  the  past.  Doubts  have  in  the  end  vanished. 

Apparent  dangers  have  been  averted  or  avoided  and  our  own  history  shows 
that  progress  has  come  so  naturally  and  steadily  on  the  heels  of  new  and 
grave  responsibilities  that  as  we  look  back  upon  the  acquisition  of  territory 
by  our  fathers  we  are  filled  with  wonder  that  any  doubt  could  have  existed 
or  any  apprehension  could  have  been  felt  of  the  wisdom  of  their  action  or 
their  capacity  to  grapple  with  the  then  untried  and  mighty  problems. 

The  Republic  is  to-day  larger,  stronger  and  better  prepared  than  ever 
before  for  wise  and  profitable  developments  in  new  directions.  Even  if  the 
minds  of  some  of  our  own  people  are  still  disturbed  by  perplexing  and 
anxious  doubts,  in  which  all  of  us  have  shared  and  still  share,  the  genius  of 
American  civilization  will,  I  believe,  be  found  both  original  and  creative, 
and  capable  of  subserving  all  the  great  interests  which  shall  be  confided  to 
our  keeping. 

Forever  in  the  right,  following  the  best  impulses  and  clinging  to  high 
purposes,  using  properly  and  within  right  limits  our  power  and  opportunities, 

honorable  reward  must  inevitably  follow.     The  outcome 
Strong  In  the        cannot  be  jn  doubt 
Right,  Merciful  in  n     ,1         j-rc       i,«         ,1      L    ,. 

Our  Sentiments.  We  could  have  avoided  all  the  difficulties  that  he 

across  the  pathway  of  the  nation  if  a  few  months  ago  we 
had  coldly  ignored  the  piteous  appeals  of  the  starving  and  oppressed  inhabi- 
tants of  Cuba.  If  we  had  blinded  ourselves  to  the  conditions  so  near  our 
shores  and  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  our  suffering  neighbors,  the  issue  of  the 
territorial  expansion  in  the  Antilles  and  the  East  Indies  would  not  have 
been  raised. 

But  could  we  have  justified  such  a  course  ?  Is  there  any  one  who  would 
now  declare  another  to  have  been  the  better  course  ?  With  less  humanity 
and  less  courage  on  our  part,  the  Spanish  flag,  instead  of  the  Stars  and 
Stripes,  would  still  be  floating  at  Cavite,  at  Ponce  and  at  Santiago,  and  a 


36  MIGHTY  STATE  SKCRETS  OF  THK  I,ATK  \VAR. 

"chance  in  the  race  of  life"  would  be  wanting  to  millions  of  human  beings 
who  to-day  call  this  nation  noble,  and  who,  I  trust,  will  live  to  call  it  blessed. 
Thus  far  we  have  done  our  supreme  duty.  Shall  we  now,  when  the 
victory  won  in  war  is  written  in  the  treaty  of  peace  and  the  civilized  world 
applauds  and  waits  in  expectation,  turn  timidly  away  from  the  duties 
imposed  upon  the  country  by  its  own  great  deeds?  And  when  the  mists 
fade  and  we  see  with  clearer  vision,  may  we  not  go  forth  rejoicing  in  a 
strength  which  has  been  employed  solely  for  humanity  and  always  been 
tempered  with  justice  and  mercy,  confident  of  our  ability  to  meet  the 
exigencies  which  await,  because  confident  that  our  course  is  one  of  duty  and 
our  cause  that  of  right?" 


MIGHTY  STATE  SECRETS  OF  THE  LATE  WAR. 


Conditions  that  Demanded  Delay  in  Beginning  Hostilities. 
BY  GENERAL  STEWART  L.  WOODFORD, 

(Ex-Minister  to  Spain.) 

NOW  that  peace  terms  have  been  consummated  by  which  Spain  and 
America  are  upon  a  basis  of  mutual  understanding  that  permits 
resumption  of  friendly  intercourse,  it  is  no  violation  of  proprieties 
in    me    to   reveal   some   of    the   happenings  at    Washington  and 
Madrid  while  I  had   the  honor  of  holding  the  position  of  United   States 
Minister  to  Spain.     When  appointed  to  that  important  post  I  carried  with 
me  to  Madrid  instructions  from  the  President  to  direct  my  efforts  to  the 
accomplishing  of  three  things  : 

One  was  to  secure  justice  for  Cuba ;  another  was  to  see  that  our  com- 
mercial Interests  in  that  island  were  no  longer  embarrassed,  and  the  third 
was  to  demand  the  withdrawal  from  Cuba  of  General  Weyler  on  or  before 
October  31,  1897 — or  to  demand  the  passports  of  the  American  Minister.  I 
delivered  my  instructions  to  the  Duke  of  Tetuan,  the  Spanish  Minister  of 
Foreign  Affairs,  and  he  promptly  told  me  that  under  no  circumstances  would 
General  Weyler  be  withdrawn  from  Cuba  until  the  end  of  the  two  years  for 
which  he  had  been  sent  there. 

What  the  Duke  of  Tetuan  refused  to  do  and  what  American  diplomacy 
failed  to  secure  was  accomplished  by  providential  means.  The  Conservative 


MX£HTY  STATE  SECRETS  OF  THE  LATE  WAR.  37 

Government  resigned,  the  Sagasta  Ministry  came  into  power,  and  on  October 
29,  I  think  it  was,  two  days  before  the  time  set  for  General  Weyler's  recall 
by  the  President,  Weyler  was  recalled. 

The  weeks  drifted  by  and  February  15,  1898,  came,  when  our  battleship 
was  blown  up  in  the  harbor  of  Havana.     Through  departments  other  than 
the  State  Department  I  received  telegraphic  information  on  February  18 
that  there  was  not  on  American  ships  or  in  the  ordnance  depots  in  the 
United  States  more  than  two  rounds  of  powder  per  gun 
and  per  man,  and  I  was  therefore  told  to  exhaust  the  arts  Our  Navy  without 
of  peace  until  April  15,  the  earliest   date  at  which  we      Ammunition. 
could  be  anywhere  near  ready  for  war,  and  that,  in  any 
event,  smokeless  powder  for  both  the  navy  and  the  army  would  be  another 
impossibility. 

I  did  the  best  I  could  ;  but  let  me  inform  you  that,  had  it  not  been  for  the 
unfaltering,  unchanging  and  loyal  friendship  of  England  and  the  attitude  of 
her  Minister  at  Madrid,  I  might  have  failed  to  do  the  little  I  did  do,  because 
the  representatives  at  Madrid  of  Continental  Europe  were  ready  at  any  time 
to  interfere  with  the  plans  of  the  United  States,  if  the  British  Minister  would 
only  join  them.  In  the  meantime  the  work  of  preparation  went  on  at  home, 
and  to  show  you  how  accurately  the  time  was  gauged,  I  may  tell  you  of  the 
run  of  a  sealed  express  train  across  the  continent,  the  contents  of  which 
train  no  man  outside  of  Washington,  and  only  two  there,  knew.  It  had  the 
right  of  way  over  all  other  trains.  When  it  reached  San  Francisco  its  cargo 
was  transferred  to  the  Mohican,  which  raced  to  Honolulu.  There  the  cargo 
was  shifted  to  the  "  Baltimore,"  which  carried  it  to  Hong  Kong,  and  on 
April  23  the  cargo  was  distributed  among  the  American  warships  there,  and 
Dewey  had  the  ammunition  he  wanted.  On  April  24  he  got  his  orders  to 
sail  for  Manila.  That  ammunition  on  May  Day  awoke  echoes  in  Manila 
Bay  that  were  heard  round  the  world  and  took  from  Spain  an  empire. 

The  war  with  Spain  has  been  likened  to  the  hundred  days  in  France. 
Those  one  hundred  days  changed  the  map  of  Europe  for  twenty  years.     The 
days  of  our  war  changed  the  map  of  the  world  and  changed  it  forever.     Loyal 
Americans  may  differ  as  to  politics,  but  upon  one  thing  we  cannot  differ. 
We  tore  down  the  sovereignty  of  Spain  in  the  Philippines. 
We  must  either  establish  there  a  form  of  government  as  we     Our  DutY  *"  the 
know  government,  or  we  must  guarantee  the  protection  of       Philippines. 
life  and  property  there  until  the  peoples  of  those  islands 
show  that  they  can  govern  themselves.     We  must  do  one  of  these  two  things. 
It  is  our  duty  and  we  cannot  shirk  it.      I  agree  with  any  one  who  says  that 
if  we  govern  the  Philippines  as  we  govern  American  cities  we  will  no* 


38  THE  PRELUDE  TO  AN  EMPIRE'S 

succeed.  If  we  put  in  power  there  men  who  have  been  leaders  of  ward 
caucuses  in  New  York,  Brooklyn,  or  Philadelphia,  the  Philippines  will  be 
to  us  a  curse  instead  of  a  blessing.  But,  thank  God,  we  have  a  man  at  the 
helm,  your  President  and  my  President,  who,  instead  of  insisting  upon  a 
policy  of  his  own,  is  waiting  to  hear  from  the  people  he  governs,  and  in  this 
country  it  has  ever  been  that  the  voice  of  the  people  is  the  voice  of  God. 


THE  PRELUDE  TO  AN  EMPIRE'S  FALL. 

BY  J.  W.  BURL. 

HE  would  have  been  endowed  witli  more  than  human  foresight — uni- 
versal consensus  would  have  doubtless  pronounced  him  a  visionary 
— who,  in  the  early  spring  of  1898,  should  have  foretold  not  only 
that  in  the  course  of  a  few  weeks  the  Union  would  be  in  the 
throes  of  a  war  to  the  bitter  end  with  Spain,  but  that  within  one  hundred 
days  the  whilom  mistress  of  the  Western  World  would  have  lost  her  sway 
over  any  portion  of  it  forever. 

Not,  indeed,  that  the  primary  causes  for  such  a  couflict  were  lacking,  or 
that  no  cloud  overhead  bespoke  the  gathering  storm  ;  on  the  contrary,  the 
long  series  of  Spain's  misdeeds  in  the  West  Indies  for  centuries  past  had 
left  behind  it  a  blood-stained  trail  along  which  retribution  could  not  fail  to 
reach  her,  when  the  time  came,  with  swifter,  surer  strides,  as  her  punish- 
ment had  been  withheld  the  longer. 

It  has  been  tersely  said  that,  up  the  present,  the  history  of  Cuba  has 
been  a  tragedy.  The  term  is  appropriate,  and  would  apply  as  well  to  the 
other  Spanish  possessions  in  the  West  Indies  and  to  the  Philippines  ;  yet  it 
needs  qualification.  We  have  here  a  tale  of  woe  that  none  of  the  softer 
influences  of  the  tragic  drama  ever  came  to  alleviate ;  a  plot  of  well-nigh 
incredible  infamy,  the  perpetrators  of  which  have  no  other  incentive  than 
their  rapacity,  and  not  a  thrill  of  virtuous  impulse  to  mitigate  their  crime ; 
a  picture  of  darkness  unrelieved  to  the  eye  save  by  the  purple  gleam  of  the 
murderer's  blade  or  the  pallor  of  starving  spectres,  with  no  other  silver 
lining  than  the  treacherous  glamor  of  pledges  unfulfilled,  unless  it  be  the 
fitful  flash  of  a  heroic  deed  at  the  hands  of  a  forlorn  hope. 

It  were  needless,  at  this  juncture,  to  retrace  the  drainings  of  Cuba's 
resources,  which  was  started  by  her  discoverer,  Columbus  himself,  400  years 


THE  PRELUDE  TO  AN  EMPIRE'S  FALL.  39 

ago.  She  was  spoken  of  by  her  lusty  conquerors  under  a  variety  of  names, 
"Juana,"  in  honor  of  Prince  John,  the  son  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella; 
"  Ferdinandina,"  in  remembrance  of  Ferdinand  after  his 

death  ;  "  Cuba,"  her  original    Indian  name  ;  "  Santiago  "     Piou*  Remem- 

brances  and 
and   "  Ave  Maria,"  after  St.  James,  the  patron  of  Spain,    R0mantjC  Titles. 

and  the  Virgin  Mary,  respectively  ;  but  whether  under 
these,  or  any  of  those  endearing  epithets,  "  the  Garden  of  the  West,"  "  the 
Summer  Isle  of  Eden,"  etc.,  which  the  irony  of  fate  placed  upon  their  lips, 
Cuba  lay  helpless  in  the  grasp  of  her  oppressors  until  1762,  when  the 
British  occupation  of  Havana  bade  her  hope  for  a  new  era  of  unknown 
welfare  and  prosperity. 

The  vista  soon  faded  away,  however ;  the  treaty  of  Paris,  the  outcome 
of  a  coalition  of  Spain,  France,  Austria  and  Russia  against  Great  Britain, 
restored  Havana  to  Spain  ;  the  beneficial  reforms  initiated  by  the  British 
were  kept  up  only  so  far  as  they  ministered  to  the  insatiable  greed  of  those 
in  power  ;  and  the  dawn  of  the  nineteenth  century  brought  no  brighter 
prospect  to  the  unfortunate  island. 

It  may  seem  remarkable  to  the  superficial  observer  that  our  first  inter- 
vention in  Cuba's  affairs  was  directed  towards  the  maintenance  of  Spanish 
rule  there  ;  in  1825  France  was  emphatically  told  that  we  could  not  consent 
to  the  occupation  of  Cuba  or  Porto  Rico  by  any  other  European  power  than 
Spain  under  any  contingency  whatever;  in  1840,  and  again  in  1843,  our 
intentions  in  this  respect  were  conveyed  to  Great  Britain  in  scarcely  less 
unequivocal  terms ;  but  it  is  superfluous  to  emphasize  the  fact  that  we  were 
then  merely  asserting  the  tenets  of  our  new  Monroe  Doctrine  (first  enunci- 
ated in  the  Presidential  message  of  1823),  an^  n°t  in  any  way  upholding  a 
regime  which  had  proved  so  blighting  a  curse  on  every  colony  to  which  it 
had  been  applied. 

Years  rolled  by  ;  our  own  civil  war  engrossed  for  a  time  our  entire 
attention  ;  and  when,  on  its  termination,  we  felt  stronger  than  ever  to  urge 
the  necessity  of  reform  on  the  government  of  Queen  Isabella,  the 
dethronement  of  the  latter  in  1868  opened  a  new  chapter  in  the  aanals  of 
Cuba. 

For  the  first  time,  the  legion  of  office-hunting  Spaniards,  whose  occu- 
pation in  Peru  and  other  enfranchised  South  American 

colonies  was  gone,  and  whose  traffic  in  blood-stained  gold  sP*In'*  Arrogance 

Brooks  No 
was  now  confined  to  Cuba  and  Porto  Rico — the  "  Penin-      intervention. 

sulars,"  as  they  are  called — found  themselves  face  to  face 

with   a  regularly  organized    insurrection    on   the   part   of  the   natives    or 

"  Insulars,"  as  they  were  designated. 


40  THE  PRELUDE  TO  AN  EMPIRE'S  FALL. 

The  revolution  of  1868  in  Spain  had  no  sooner  been  announced  than 
Carlos  Manuel  de  Cespedes,  a  well-known  Cuban  lawyer  and  wealthy 
planter,  raised  the  standard  of  revolt  and  quickly  found  himself  at  the  head 
of  an  army  of  15,000  strong.  A  declaration  of  independence,  setting  forth 
the  too  glaring  causes  that  justified  it,  was  published  at  Manzanillo,  on 
October  10 ;  in  the  following  month  of  April,  at  a  congress  summoned  at 
Quaymaro,  a  Republican  constitution  was  framed  and  Cespedes  elected 
president.  Mexico  and  other  South  American  States  recognized  the  Cubans 
as  belligerents ;  it  was  not  long  ere  Peru  went  one  step  farther  and  acknowl- 
edged their  independence  ;  what  was  to  be  known  as  Cuba's  ten  years'  war 
was  in  full  sway,  and  under  promising  auspices. 

Of  the  methods  adopted  by  the  military  authorities  to  face  this  new 
condition  of  affairs,  one  instance  will  suffice ;  it  is  contained  in  a  proclama- 
tion issued  by  General  de  Valmaseda  in  April,  1869,  which  reads  as 
follows  : 

"  i.  Every  man,  from  the  age  of  fifteen  years,  upwards,  who  is  found 
away  from  his  habitation  (finca)  and  does  not  prove  a  justified  motive  there- 
for, will  be  shot. 
lnlqUltt°hat  LaW*  "  2'  Kvery  habitation  unoccupied  will  be  burned  by 

Shame  "spam.       the  tro°Ps- 

"  3.  Every  habitation  from  which  does  not  float  a 

white  flag,  as  a  signal  that  its  occupants  desire  peace,  will  be  reduced  to 
ashes. 

"  Women  that  are  not  living  at  their  own  homes,  or  at  the  houses  of 
their  relatives,  will  collect  in  the  town  of  Jiguani,  or  Bay  am  o,  where  main- 
tenance will  be  provided.  Those  who  do  not  present  themselves  will  be 
conducted  forcibly." 

Not  more  than  one  example  seems  needed  either,  to  illustrate  the 
cowardly  hypocrisy  with  which  politicians  played  their  part  in  this  war.  A 
loudly-heralded  bill,  the  Moret  bill,  which  was  to  emancipate  certain 
classes  of  slaves,  was  elaborately  passed  and  became  a  law  amid  the  plaudits 
of  Europe,  in  June,  1870.  On  examination  it  was  found  that  this  would-be 
emancipatory  measure  simply  relieved  the  slave  owner  from  supporting  the 
very  young  and  the  very  old,  while  it  strengthened  and  prolonged  his  hold 
of  the  able-bodied,  but  even  such  as  it  was,  the  outside  world  thought  it 
had  been  in  operation  for  almost  two  years  before  the  Peninsulars  even 
permitted  it  to  be  publicly  announced  in  Cuba. 

In  November,  1875,  President  Grant  determined,  if  possible,  to  bring 
matters  to  an  issue,  and  a  note  was  sent  to  the  Spanish  government,  of 
which  this  was  the  concluding  paragraph  : 


THE  PRELUDE  TO  AN  EMPIRE'S  FAIJ,.  41 

"  In  the  absence  of  any  prospect  of  a  termination  of  the  war,  or  of  any 
change  in  the  manner  in  which  it  has  been  conducted  on  either  side,  the 
President  feels  that  the  time  is  at  hand  when  it  may  be 
the  duty  of  other  governments  to  intervene,  solely  with  a      General  Grant 

/.-...  ...  Tries  to  Pacify 

view  of  bringing  to  an  end  a  disastrous  and  destructive        the  |S|and 
conflict  and  of    restoring  peace  in   the  Island  of  Cuba. 
No  government  is  more  deeply  interested  in  the  order  and  peaceful  adminis- 
tration of  this  island  than  is  that  of  the  United  States,  and  none  has  suffered 
as  the  United  States  from  the  condition  which  has  obtained  there  during 
the  past  six  or  seven  years.     He  will,  therefore,  feel   it  his  duty  at  an  early 
day  to  submit  the  subject  in  this  light,  and  accompanied  by  an  expression 
of  the  views  above  presented,  for  the  consideration  of  Congress." 

Spain's  answer  came  in  a  two-fold  manner  during  the  following  spring. 

In  a  note  addressed  to  her  representatives  in  foreign  countries,  includ- 
ing the  United  States,  Minister  Calderon  stated  that  the  insurrection  was 
supported  and  carried  on  largely  by  negroes,  mulattoes,  Chinese,  deserters 
and  adventurers ;  that  Spain  had  amply  sufficient  forces  to  put  an  end  to 
the  kind  of  guerrilla  warfare  in  which  they  were  engaged,  and  that  her 
triumph  would  speedily  be  followed  by  the  total  abolition  of  slavery  and  the 
introduction  of  administrative  reforms.  And  furthermore,  in  conversations 
with  our  representative,  Caleb  Gushing,  Calderon  reiterated  the  assurance 
that  Spain  was  in  full  accord  with  the  United  States  in  regard  to  the  aboli- 
tion of  slavery,  the  extension  of  liberal  political  and  administrative  reforms 
to  Cuba  and  the  promotion  of  unrestricted  commerce,  and  that  she  was  only 
waiting  for  the  establishment  of  peace  to  put  these  various  measures  into 
operation. 

Such  protestations  naturally  put  all  attempts  at  intervention  out  of 
question  for  the  time  being.  Two  years  passed  by,  and  the  ten  years'  fight 
was  abandoned  in  February,  1878. 

It  was  not,  however,  Spain's   "  all-sufficient  power "  that  had  brought 
the  struggle  to  a  halt ;  it  was  the  contentions  that  had  arisen  between  the 
civil  and  military  departments  of  the  newly  formed  and  ill- 
matured  republican  government,  and,  above  all,  the  lavish-  War  Bctween  tne 

Civil  and  the 
ness  of  the  promises  which  Spam  once  more  held  out  to          Military. 

the    insurgents — promises   the    nullity    of    which,    when 
realized,  could  not  but  reopen  hostilities  at  the  first  opportunity. 

And  yet,  declining  to  learn  a  lesson  from  her  past  experience,  Spain 
kept  on  the  tenor  of  her  Punic  faith,  and  her  heartless  exactions  continued 
to  make  Cuba  a  fattening  field  for  her  penniless  nobles  and  fortune-hunting 
minions,  until  the  inevitable  result  came,  in  1895,  and  a  fresh  insurrection 


42  THE  PRELUDE  TO  AN  EMPIRE'S 

broke  out,  more  determined  in  its  efforts  and  better  prepared  than  ever  for  a 
conflict  which  was  destined  to  be  the  last. 

The  ten  years'  war  had  cost  Spain  the  loss  of  over  80,000  out  of  150,- 
ooo  soldiers  ;  that  the  present  was  to  drain  her  resources  to  a  greater  extent 
still  seemed  foredoomed  from  its  inception,  while  her  powerlessness  to 
subdue  the  revolt  of  her  victimized  subjects  became  more  and  more 
apparent. 

In  the  two  years  ending  March  i,  1897,  two  Spanish  generals,  13  field 
and  108  subaltern  officers,  2,018  men  were  killed  in  battle  or  subsequently 
died  of  their  wounds,  while  the  number  of  those  who  had  been  reported  as 
wounded  amounted  to  8,627.  This  was  little,  however,  when  compared  to 
the  losses  caused  by  disease.  Yellow  fever  alone  had,  in  that  lapse  of  time, 
carried  away  318  officers  and  13,000  men,  while  no  less  than  40,000  men 
and  127  officers  had  been  the  victims  of  other  maladies. 

In  other  words,  according  to  the  computation  of  a  writer  in  the  Revue 

Scientijique  for  October  16,  1897,  those  two  years  had  caused  the  death  or 

disablement  of  521   per  1,000  of   the  Spanish    forces  in 

Horrors  of        Cuba,  as  follows  :  Killed  or  dead  from  wounds,  10.7  per 

Cuba's  War  for  . 

Independence.      i,ooo ;  dead  of  yellow  fever,  66  per  1,000;  dead  of  other 

diseases,  201.3  per  1,000;  sent  home  (sick  or  wounded), 
143  per  1,000;  left  in  Cuba  (sick  or  wounded),  100  per  1,000. 

The  unprecedented  successes  of  the  natives  in  this  second  war  only 
angered  the  Peninsulars  the  more,  and  the  progress  of  Cuba's  enfranchise- 
ment was  met  by  a  refinement  of  cruelty  worthy  of  savage  life.  To 
Captain-General  Weyler  history  will  give  due  credit  for  the  originating  of 
the  so-called  "  concentration  "  system.  This  dastardly  measure  shocked  the 
human  race  at  large ;  and  the  nauseated  world  stood  aghast  at  its  callous 
execution.  Weyler  was  succeeded  by  Blanco,  and  the  latter,  while  hardly 
loosening  his  murderous  grasp  of  the  non-combatants,  was  so  impressed 
with  the  progress  of  the  fighting  insurgents  that  he  used  every  effort  to 
substitute  the  power  of  bribery  for  the  impotency  of  his  sword. 

To  Gomez,  the  veteran,  who  for  thirteen  years  had  lived  but  for  the 
liberating  of  his  country,  he  offered  the  use  of  a  Spanish  vessel  to  escape 
from  the  island,  and  a  fortune  in  gold  if  he  accepted  the  proposal ;  such 
was  the  blind  infatuation  of  Spain  that  she  expected  Gomez  to  clutch  at 
her  magnanimous  offer ! 

But  patriotism  that  could  not  be  purchased,  and  loyalty  that  was  as 
incorruptible  as  the  heart  of  righteousness,  was  now  soon  to  have  its  aid  from 
the  good  angel  of  mercy  and  justice.  The  destruction  of  the  "  Maine  " 
awakened  our  long  patient  nation  from  passivity  and  led  to  loosing  the 


THREE  EPISODES  IN  HISTORY.  43 

bloody-mouthed  dogs  of  avenging  wrong.  The  episodes  of  the  war  that  began 
in  April  and  ended  by  a  peace  treaty  signed  at  Paris  on  December  10,  1898, 
constitute  an  epoch  of  American  history  which  true  Americans  will  call  to 
mind  with  exultant  spirits,  for  aside  from  the  results  which  may  follow — the 
liberation  of  long  oppressed  peoples  and  the  acquisition  by  the  United  States 
of  valuable  island  territory  which  remains  to  be  governed — the  greater  bene- 
fits are  found  in  that  the  war  served  to  cement  anew,  with  indissoluble 
fraternal  bonds,  the  North  and  South. 

No  treaty  negotiated  in  the  present  century  is  more  pregnant  of  change 
in  the  general  international  situation  than  this  second  Treaty  of  Paris,  as  it 
will  probably  be  called.  It  is  not  only  that  it  marks  the  end  of  the  colonial 
career  of  Spain — the  final  destruction  of  Spanish-American  imperial  dominion 
which  was  one  of  the  wonders  of  the  world's  history,  and  which  has  its 
counterparts  only  in  the  expansion  of  Rome  and  the  growth  of  Greater 
Britain — but  it  brings  into  the  field  of  international  politics  a  seventh  great 
Power  which,  with  resources  of  wealth,  power  and  culture  in  no  way  inferior 
to  those  of  the  great  States  of  Europe,  enters  into  the  competition  for 
dominion  over  the  waste  and  savage  regions  of  -the  earth.  The  stored-up 
vitality  of  the  American  nation  has  broken  its  bonds,  and  after  a  century  of 
restraint  the  heirs  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers  have  cast  to  the  winds  the  pious 
renunciations  of  their  ancestors  and  have  given  rein  to  that  "  old  Adam  "  of 
world-dominion  which  is  an  instinct  of  the  masterful  race  to  which  we  belong- 


THREE  EPISODES  IN  HISTORY. 

WHEN  the  Spanish  flag  came  down  from  Havana's  Morro  Castle  on 
New  Year's  Day,  1899,  one  chapter  of  history  was  closed.     The 
Spanish  Empire  in  America  became  an  episode  that  was  passed. 
In  the  space  of  four  hundred  and  six  years  two  months  and  ten 
days  from  the    morning  when    Columbus    landed  on   San    Salvador  until 
Castellanos  turned  over  his  authority  to  General  Brooke  in  the  Palace  of 
Havana,  the  rule  of  Spain  had  been  a  huge  fact  in  the  life  of  America. 

After  the  treaty  of  Paris  in  1783,  by  which  England  surrendered  East 
Florida  to  the  Spaniards,  to  whom  France  had  ceded  Louisiana  twenty  years 
before,  the  Spanish  dominions  entirely  surrounded  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and 
stretched  in  one  unbroken  mass  from  Cape  Horn  to  the  Hudson  Bay  country. 
It  was  then  that  the  Spanish  episode  in  the  New  World  reached  its  climax. 
Eighteen  years  later  the  retrocession  of  Louisiana  marked  the  beginning  of 


44  THREE  EPISODES  IN  HISTORY. 

the  decline  of  Spain's  American  Empire.  After  that  one  province  after 
another  fell  away  until  now  not  a  Spanish  flag  is  to  be  found  flying  anywhere 
in  the  vast  region  through  which,  a  hundred  years  ago,  the  traveler  might 
have  journeyed  for  eight  thousand  miles  without  finding  anything  else. 

This  passing  vision  of  empire  recalls  two  other  parallel  episodes,  both 

more  extended  in  time  than  the  sway  of  Spain  in  America,  but  each,  like  it, 

evanescent.     One  was  in  Spain   itself,  where  the   Moors 

ory  Ir     maintained  a  Moslem  dominion  for  seven  hundred   and 

Eclipse. 

•  eighty-one  years.  Throughout  the  Middle  Ages  Spain  was 
regarded  essentially  as  a  part  of  Africa.  Malaga  had  been  a  Moslem  city 
for  six  hundred  years  when  Smyrna,  Trebizonde  and  Constantinople  were 
still  Christian  strongholds.  But  as  the  centuries  rolled  on  the  crescent  slowly 
retreated  until  the  last  inch  of  the  Moorish  empire  in  Spain  disappeared 
in  the  very  year  that  saw  the  beginning  of  the  Spanish  empire  in 
America. 

The  last  of  the  three  historical  episodes  is  not  yet  ended,  but  its  close  is 
plainly  in  sight.  A  few  years  ago  a  great  black  blot  called  "  Turkey  "  over- 
spread the  eastern  and  southern  lands  of  the  Mediterranean.  It  covered  the 
greater  part  of  the  empire  of  Justinian,  and  some  regions  to  which  the  arms 
of  Belisarius  and  Narses  had  never  reached.  Under  that  thick  pall  of 
barbarism  all  the  marks  of  the  ancient  civilization  were  effaced.  There  was 
no  longer  a  Greece,  a  Macedonia,  a  Thrace — there  was  only  "  Turkey." 

But  now  this  incident,  too,  is  passing  away.  It  has  become  evident 
that  there  is  no  such  thing  as  "  Turkey  " — there  are  only  Turks,  encamped 
in  greater  or  less  numbers  in  lands  in  most  of  which  they  still  remain 
strangers.  One  by  one  the  ancient  names  are  emerging,  and  as  one  familiar 
region  after  another  comes  back  into  the  sunlight  the  world  realizes  that  the 
old  civilization  was  not  killed,  but  merely  covered  up.  Egypt,  Cyprus, 
Tripoli  and  Tunis  are  again  under  Christian  rule,  as  in  the  days  before  the 
weary  arms  of  Hercules  drooped  before  the  onset  of  youthful  Islam.  There 
is  again  a  Greece,  with  Athens  for  its  capital.  The  Romans  of  Dacia  have 
a  king  of  their  own  ;  two  fragments  of  the  old  Servian  Czardom  have  become 
independent  States :  Bulgaria  rules  herself ;  the  sentiment  of  nationality  is 
seething  in  Macedonia  and  Thrace  ;  Colchis,  of  the  Golden  Fleece,  is  part  of 
a  Christian  empire,  and  in  these  last  weeks  Crete  has  been  redeemed. 

The  three  episodes  have  been  tremendous,  tragic  facts  to  the  people 
involved  in  them — they  have  seemed  for  the  time  to  blot  out  the  heavens — 
but  the  development  of  history  goes  on,  and  in  the  perspective  of  future 
centuries  there  will  be  little  to  show  that  a  Moorish  empire  in  Spain,  a 
Spanish  one  in  America  or  a  Turkish  one  in  the  East  ever  existed. 


THE    "VIRGINIUS"    MASSACRE.  45 

THE  "VIRGINIUS"  MASSACRE. 


Story  of   an  Atrocity  that  Embittered  America  Against  Spain  and 

Called  for  Vengeance. 
BY  J.  W.  BUEL. 

TO  those  only  who  have  failed  to  keep  informed  of  passing  events  in 
Cuba  and  who  are  ignorant  of  the  history  of  the  long  suffering 
people  of  that  most  unhappy  island,  can  any  question  arise  as  to 
the  justice  of  United  States  intervention  in  the  affairs  between 
Cuba  and  Spain.  Humanity's  call  was  a  loud  one,  which  as  a  civilized 
nation  we  could  not  afford  to  ignore,  but  there  were  other  provocations 
than  those  which  begat  our  sympathy.  The  devastation  of  cultivated 
fields,  the  oppression  of  Spain's  colonists  by  confiscatory  taxes  to  enrich  her 
besotted  aristocracy  ;  the  merciless  execution  of  protestants  of  her  infamous 
measures ;  the  winnowing  and  harrowing  of  the  agricultural  classes,  and 
the  merciless  exactions  that  reduced  Cubans  to  a  tribute-paying  people,  were 
the  causes  that  led  to  frequent  rebellions  and  which  aroused  our  strongest 
compassion.  The  material  trade  interests  of  our  country  were  also  seriously 
impaired  by  the  appalling  efforts  made  by  Spain  to  uproot  the  plant  and 
destroy  the  seeds  of  what  was  holy  insurrection,  for  it  caused  an  almost 
total  suspension  of  commercial  intercourse  between  Cuba  and  the  United 
States,  and  a  consequent  loss  to  our  people  of  more  than  $200,000,000  in 
the  years  1896-97.  Great  as  were  the  losses  to  our  trade,  and  shocking  as 
were  the  crimes  perpetrated  by  Spain  upon  the  Cubans,  which  had  small 
intermission  from  the  time  of  the  Columbian  discovery  to  the  date  of 
enforced  liberation,  affording  abundant  and  all-sufficient  reason  for  armed 
intercession  by  our  government,  these  did  not  constitute  all  of  the  iniquities 
which  inflamed  our  national  spirit ;  there  were,  in  fact, 
many  others  which  but  for  diplomatic  restraint  would  Spain  and 
have  involved  our  government  in  war  with  Spain  long  ™*J  ca  f°^r  * 
before  the  blowing-up  of  the  "  Maine  "  and  the  fast-follow- 
ing events  that  exhausted  our  endurance  to  bear  insult,  and  the  persecution 
of  our  sorrow-burdened  and  liberty-seeking  neighbor. 

The  United  States  was  several  times  upon  the  point  of  taking  up  arms 
against  Spain  to  avenge  wrongs  perpetrated  upon  our  citizens,  but  at  no 
time,  prior  to  actual  hostilities,  did  war  so  seriously  threaten  as  in  1873, 
when  the  drum-beats  were  actually  heard  summoning  the  government  to 
preparation  and  the  voice  of  America's  sons  rose  loudly  in  a  demand  for 


46  THE  "VIRGINIUS"  MASSACRE. 

reparation.  The  incident  which  came  so  near  precipitating  a  great  conflict 
was  the  seizure  of  the  u  Virginias"  and  execution  of  her  crew,  at  Santiago 
de  Cuba,  in  November  of  that  year.  The  circumstances  connected  with 
this  Spanish  outrage  may  thus  briefly  be  related  : 

The  "  Virginias  "  was  a  wooden  vessel  of  1,500  tons,  which  for  a  while 
was  a  blockade-runner,  carrying  arms  and  supplies  to  the  Cuban  insurgents, 
but  later  she  was  sold  and  engaged  in  a  legitimate  coasting  trade,  chiefly  in 
the  Caribbean  Sea.     She  was  American  register,  carried  the  United  States 
flag,  and  was  commanded  by  Joseph  Fry,  of  Louisiana.     At  the  time  of  her 
seizure  she  carried  a  crew  of  thirty  men,  and  had  130  passengers,  nearly  all 
of  the  latter  having  gone  on  board  at  Kingston,  Jamaica,  for  New  York,  to 
which  port  the  "  Virginias  "  was  bound.     The  vessel  was  for  a  long  while 
under  suspicion  and  after  her  departure  from  Kingston  she  was  pursued  and 
seized  on  the  high  sea  by  the  Spanish  man-of-war  "  Torpedo,"  and   upon 
being  taken  into  Santiago  the  captain  and  crew  were  brought  before  a  sum- 
mary court-martial  on  a  charge  of  piracy.     No  defence  was  permitted  and 
a  sentence  to  death  was  passed  upon  the  arrested  men  two 
Court.  Martial      dayS   after   their   apprehension.     Execution  was   ordered 
and  Execution       ..,.,..     r  111  -r-r-i 

of  Captain  Fry.     forthwith,  before  word  could  be  conveyed  to  the  United 

States  authorities  by  the  American  Consul  at  that  point. 
Accordingly,  on  November  7  Captain  Fry  and  his  crew  were  shot  by  a 
squad  detailed  for  the  purpose,  after  which  the  bodies  were  subjected  to  the 
most  horrible  indignities,  Spanish  officers  riding  over  the  dead,  and  the 
remains  were  also  multilated  in  other  ways.  In  celebration  of  this  savage 
crime  the  Spanish  officers  gave  a  great  ball  in  Santiago,  attended  by  the 
aristocracy  of  the  city,  which  was  a  carnival  of  exultation  only  one  degree 
below  that  of  a  cannibal  feast.  On  the  following  day — November  8 — six- 
teen of  the  passengers  were  shot,  but  further  executions  were  prevented  by 
the  arrival  of  the  British  warship  "  Niobe"  in  Santiago  harbor,  the  com- 
mander of  which  threatened  to  bombard  the  city  in  case  another  one  of  the 
unfortunates  were  shot  before  the  matter  could  be  referred  to  the  home 
authorities. 

When  the  slaughter  of  the  "  Virginius' "  crew  and  several  of  her  '•pas- 
sengers was  reported,  and  all  its  horribly  brutal  details  became  known  in 

the  United   States,  the  country  was  aroused   to  a  pitch  of 

frenzied  excitement  and  more   than    100,000  volunteers 
Revenge.          offered  their  services  to  the  government  to  punish  Spain. 

For  a  while  it  appeared  that  war  was  inevitable,  that 
nothing  but  blood  could  atone  the  savage  outrage,  but  this  result  was 
averted  by  Spain  disavowing  the  acts  of  the  officers  at  Santiago  and  by  a 


DIFFICULTIES  AND  PERILS  OF  THE  HAVANA  BLOCKADE.     47 

promise  to  investigate  and  make  due  reparation.  As  an  earnest  of  the  pur- 
pose to  make  amends  the  Spanish  authorities  ordered  the  release  of  the 
surviving  passengers,  but  no  apology  or  indemnity  was  paid  until  several 
months  later.  The  affair  thus  became  a  long  and  tedious  process  of  diplo- 
matic negotiation  which  finally  resulted  in  Spain  making  a  conditional 
apology  and  in  paying  an  indemnity  of  the  small  sum  of  $80,000.  The 
"  Virginius "  was  also  surrendered,  but  while  on  the  voyage  north  she 
encountered  a  storm  off  Hatteras  and  was  wrecked,  many  persons  declaring, 
however,  that  she  had  been  made  unseaworthy  by  the  Spaniards  with  a  view 
to  her  destruction.  The  $80,000  which  Spain  paid  was  for  seizure  and 
detention  of  the  "Virginius,"  no  part  of  which  went  to  the  relatives  of 
those  who  were  murdered,  so  the  crime  was  in  no  sense  avenged  until  Cer- 
vera's  ships  were  destroyed  and  Santiago  fell  twenty-five  years  later. 


DIFFICULTIES  AND  PERILS  OF  THE  HAVANA 

BLOCKADE. 


BY 


(Captain  of  the  Cruiser  "  New  York.") 

THE  Havana  blockade  was  a  more,  anxious  one  than  that  of  any  of 
the  neighboring  ports,  as  there  were  two  large,  swift  torpedo-boat 
destroyers  in  the  harbor,  and  we  naturally  expected  an  attack  by 
these.     During  the  day  we  were  in  easy  and  plain  sight,  and  we 
ourselves  could  distinguish  the  guns  in  the  batteries,  the  men  at  work  and, 
frequently,  standing  closer  in,  could  look  up  the  streets  and  somewhat  into 
the  harbor. 

At  the  first  go-off  the  batteries  were  not  so  powerful  but  that  we  could 
have  silenced  them  and  kept  them  silenced  with  the  ships  we  had,  could  the 
risk  of  injury  to  our  heavier  ships  have  been  undergone.  The  fleet  at  Spain's 
disposal  was  too  great  a  menace  for  this  to  be  approved  by  the  government, 
so  that  the  batteries  were  left  to  grow  and  strengthen.  Those  on  the  lower 
ground  to  the  west  of  the  city,  the  last  of  which  was  some  three  miles 
distant  from  the  harbor  entrance,  had  but  little  westerly  command,  and  at 


48     DIFFICULTIES  AND  PERILS  OF  THE  HAVANA  BLOCKADE. 

this  time  we  could  have  parried  both  these  and  the  city  from  the  somewhat 
extensive  bay  at  the  head  of  which  is  the  seaside  resort  of  Marianao, 
formed  by  the  sweep  of  the  shore  to  the  southward  a  mile  or  so  west  of  the 
last  battery. 

This  southerly  trend  is  sufficient  to  have  enabled  our  ships  to  lie  in 
comparative,  if  not  absolute,  safety  and  take  the  whole  series  of  these 
batteries  as  far  as  Santa  Clara  (the  first  west  of  the  entrance  and  the  most 
powerful)  with  a  flanking  fire  at  from  three  to  five  miles.  But  this  fire 

would  have  been  a  worriment  rather  than  an  injury  to  the 
A  Temptation  to  .  .    ,       1 

batteries,  though  immense    destruction  might  have  been 

Throw  Heavy  Shot. 

dealt  the  city.  The  military  effect  might  have  not  been 
commensurate  with  the  expenditure  of  ammunition  which,  in  the  earlier 
stages  of  the  war,  it  was  important  to  economize.  Besides,  the  ships  most 
fitted  for  the  service  could  have  ill  been  spared  from  the  blockading  duty. 

Changes  from  the  monotony  of  the  first  established  blockade  came 
quickly.  It  was  but  a  fortnight  from  our  starting  from  Key  West  that  the 
larger  part  of  our  heavy  ships  was  on  its  way  to  San  Juan.  By  this  time  we 
had  been  numerously  reinforced  by  revenue  vessels,  lighthouse  tenders, 
yachts  and  tugs — excellent  material  for  the  duty  on  which  all  had  been, 
which  did  not  require  battleships.  A  commodore  (Watson)  had  been 
appointed  afloat,  and  another  (Remey)  was  in  command  of  our  base  at  Key 
West.  Cervera  was  due  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic,  and  the  great  question 
was  to  meet  and  bring  him  to  action.  To  Commodore  Watson  was  left  the 
covering  of  the  Havana  blockade,  while  Sampson  went  eastward  in  search 
of  the  Spanish  fleet. 

San  Juan  was  locked  in  and  bombarded.  Cervera  not  being  there, 
Sampson  at  once  returned  on  his. tracks,  arriving  at  Key  West  to  find  the 
flying  squadron,  which  went  on  to  Cienfuegos,  reinforced  by  the  "  Iowa." 
The  Commander-in-chief,  with  all  the  rest  of  his  force,  once  again  joined 
the  Havana  blockading  force,  but  moved  the  greater  part  of  it  eastward  to 
oppose  Cervera's  advance  from  that  direction,  the  latter  having  already  been 
heard  of  as  being  finally  in  Santiago  de  Cuba.  The  flying  squadron  had 
been  ordered  there  from  Cienfuegos,  but  on  hearing  that  the  commodore  in 
command  proposed  returning  to  Key  West  for  coal,  the  commander-in-chief 
was  directed  to  go  to  Santiago,  where  he  arrived  June  i  with  the  "  New 
York,"  "Oregon,"  "  Mayflower"  and  the  torpedo  boat  "  Porter." 

This  sudden  transference  of  interest  from  Havana  to  Santiago 
brought  an  entirely  new  phase  to  the  blockade.  The  heavy  fighting  ships, 
with  few  exceptions,  and  these  chiefly  the  monitors,  were  before  the  latter 
port,  and  there  then  ensued  a  month  of  wearisome  and  toilsome  watching 


DIFFICULTIES  AND  PERILS  OF  THE  HAVANA  BLOCKADE.     49 

against  the  escape  of  the  caged  squadron.  As  this  was  the  blockading  of  a 
hostile  squadron  and  not  of  a  port  particularly,  for  which,  in  fact,  we  had 
no  uses  and  which  was  of  no  military  importance,  it  differed  widely  in  its 
methods  from  what  had  gone  before.  The  commander-iii-chief  immediately 
upon  his  arrival  tested  the  strength  of  the  batteries,  with  a  view  to  sending 
in  close  the  battleships  with  their  searchlights  at  night.  The  ships  were 
drawn  round  the  narrow  entrance  with  their  heads  toward  it,  ready  to 
assault  at  once  the  enemy  should  he  appear. 

At  nightfall  a  battleship  moved  in  to  between  one  and  two  miles  and 
fixed  a  searchlight  up  the  narrow  canon  which  serves  as  a  channel  to  the 
deep  inner  bay,  which  is  invisible  from  outside.     On  her 
port    hand  was  another   battleship   ready  to  fire  in  case       Watch  Dogs 
anything  appeared.     The  one  showing  the  searchlight  was       ^** 


relieved  every  two  and  a-half  hours,  so  that  as  there  were 
usually  but  three  the  duty  fell  very  heavily,  and  was  one  of  much  anxiety 
to  the  captains.  The  crews  had  chiefly  to  sleep  in  the  superstructure  on 
account  of  the  great  heat,  and  though  no  serious  injuries  to  the  ship  were 
apprehended  from  gun  fire  the  men  were  practically  unprotected. 

Fortunately,  they  were  not  fired  upon,  and  the  month  passed  without 
the  loss  of  a  life  from  the  carrying  out  of  this  duty.  The  remaining  vessels 
of  the  squadron  drew  close  in  to  the  searchlight  ship,  and  inside  this  latter 
were  stationed  three  small  vessels  of  the  "Gloucester"  class,  and  within 
these  again  and  close  under  the  Morro  three  steam  launches  as  pickets. 
These  last  were  frequently  subjected  to  musketry  fire,  but  no  one  was 
injured. 

The  attempted  closing  of  the  entrance  by  the  sinking  of  the  "  Merri- 
mac  "  was  at  once  seen  to  be  a  failure,  on  account  of  her  getting  too  far  in, 
and  the  persistent  searchlight  was  the  only  thing  which  prevented  the  sortie 
of  Cervera  at  night.  They  found  it  impossible  to  come  out  in  face  of  the 
blinding  glare  which  made  it  impossible  to  'navigate  the  narrow  channel, 
which  was  so  lighted  that  the  smallest  boat  could  not  cross  without  our 
knowledge.  This  use  of  the  searchlight  was  certainly  one  of  the  basic 
elements  of  our  success.  Had  the  Spanish  Admiral  succeeded  in  coming 
out  at  night,  the  chances  of  at  least  some  of  his  ships  escaping  would  have 
been  immensely  greater  than  during  the  day,  and  that  the  war  might  end 
quickly  it  was  necessary  that  none  should  get  away. 

In  the  meantime,  so  many  ships  had  been  drawn  to  the  vicinity  of  San- 
tiago that  blockade  running  became  very  active  on  the  south  coast  west  of 
Santa  Cruz.  Small  vessels  from  Mexico  and  from  other  Spanish-American 
ports  in  the  Gulf  and  from  Jamaica  were  constantly  increasing  in  number, 


go  PEACE. 

using  Batabano  particularly  as  a  point  of  delivery.  This,  however,  was 
soon  blocked,  and  the  entire  length  of  some  500  miles  was  patrolled  by  a 
number  of  our  lighter  ships,  making  communication  so  hazardous  that  all 
attempts  had  practically  ceased  by  the  end  of  hostilities. 

One  of  the  last  ships  making  the  effort  was  the  fine  transatlantic 
steamer  "  Santo  Domingo,"  which  was  driven  ashore  and  burned  by  the 
"  Eagle  "  near  Cape  Frances.  Her  destruction  practically  ended  the  blockade 
running  of  this  section.  Further  east  the  inner  waters  of  this  great  stretch 
of  reefs  were  harried  by  a  detail  of  vessels,  some  five  or  six  of  which  were 
constantly  on  the  station,  and  which,  in  addition  to  ordinary  blockade  duty, 
did  most  effective  and  gallant  service  in  the  bombardment  of  Manzanillo 
and  the  sinking  there  of  the  Spanish  gunboats  on  that  station  by  the  "  Wil- 
mington," "Helena,"  "Manning,"  "Hist"  and  "Hornet." 

The  occupation  of  Guantanamo  Bay  was  an  easement  to  the  southern 
blockade,  the  benefit  of  which  can  scarcely  be  measured.  It  at  once  became 
our  coaling  and  repair  station  for  the  entire  southern  coast.  Coaling  at  sea 
is  at  best  but  a  difficult  makeshift.  It  can  be  done,  but,  as  a  rule,  it  was  weari- 
somely slow  and  was  dangerous  to  both  collier  and  cruiser.  Guantanamo  gave 
opportunity  to  coal  and  overhaul  at  the  same  time,  and  this,  for  the  smaller 
ships  especially,  was  of  the  utmost  importance.  Had  hostilities  continued, 
a  coaling  station  would  have  also  been  established  further  west,  and  we 
should  thus  have  had  Key  West,  Guantanamo  Bay,  and  a  third  (probably  the 
Isle  of  Pines)  in  the  2,000  miles  ellipse  of  the  blockade. 


PEACE. 

BY  FRANKLIN  TRUSDELL. 

THE  Pride  of  the  Antilles  bowed  her  head, 
She  had  snapped  her  teeth  in  vain  ; 
Her  faith  was  weak  and  her  hope  was  dead, 
Crushed  by  the  power  of  Spain. 

'Twas  then  that  a  greater  power  arose, 

And  o'er  the  Western  wave 
A  voice  called  "  Halt  "  to  Cuba's  foes, 

And  an  arm  stretched  forth  to  save. 


THE  FIGHT  AT  GUANTANAMO.  5* 

The  voice  was  the  surge  of  a  people's  soul, 

In  the  arm  was  a  mighty  sword, 
In  the  wake  of  a  war-time  thunder's  roll 

Was  the  blood  of  heroes  poured, 

Till  the  heart  of  the  Don  no  longer  braved 

The  force  of  the  Iron  Hand, 
And  the  flag  of  the  Great  Republic  waved 

Throughout  that  weary  land. 

****** 

The  dogs  of  war  have  ceased  to  bark, 

The  wings  of  peace  are  spread, 
And  a  gleam  of  glory  lights  the  dark 

In  the  graves  of  a  nation's  dead. 

God  grant  these  hundred  days  of  strife 

May  bring  a  hundred  years 
Of  plenteousness  and  peaceful  life, 

And  an  utter  dearth  of  tears. 

For  men  are  no  less  brave  at  home, 

And  women's  hearts  are  stronger 
When  soldier  sweethearts  cease  to  roam 

And  war  alarms  no  longer. 

If  men  must  work  and  women  weep, 

Why  should  it  be  for  others  ? 
So  let  the  dogs  of  war  still  sleep 

And  let  all  men  be  brothers. 


THE  FIGHT  AT  GUANTANAMO. 

BY  A  SAILOR  OF  THE  "TEXAS." 

/  /  ~T~  ~T~EL,LO,"  said  the  man  beside  me.     "  I  guess  I  came  pretty  near 

being  shot." 
-^-  -•*-  We  stood  on  the  quarter-deck  of  the  "  Texas  "  at  Guan- 

tanamo.  The  marines  a  few  hundred  yards  away  were  moving 
through  the  thick  cover  in  skirmishing  order,  driving  the  Spanish  guerrillas 
before  them,  and  across  the  water  came  the  continual  splutter  of  their  rifles. 
Puffs  of  smoke  gleamed  for  an  instant  against  the  green  foliage  and  faded. 


52  THE  FIGHT  AT  GUANTANAMO. 

A  roar  came  from  the  ravine  in  advance  of  the  marines  occasionally,  telling 
that  Commander  McCalla,  who  had  taken  the  "  Marblehead  "  to  a  position 
enabling  him  to  direct  a  flanking  fire  upon  the  Spanish,  had  dropped  another 
shell  where  it  was  needed.  The  picture  was  an  absorbing  one.  But  when 
the  man  beside  me  said  he  had  nearly  been  shot  I  forgot  the  marines 
instantly  and  turned  to  ask  about  it,  realizing  that  if  he  had  nearly  been  shot 
I  must  have  been,  too.  He  pointed  to  the  deck  at  his  feet.  A  Mauser  bullet 
had  gouged  a  piece  out  of  it,  and  the  wood  beneath  showed  clean  and  new. 
Several  of  us  became  interested  in  a  gun  shield  of  improved  pattern  right 
after  that,  but  it  was  uncomfortable  there,  for  Captain  Philip  and  the  officers 
about  him  were  too  busy  scanning  the  smoke-topped  ridge  to  notice  a  mere 
rifle  bullet,  and  we  came  out  of  the  shelter  to  see  the  rest  of  the  piece. 
Then  a  queer  thing  happened.  The  Spanish  moved  a  gun  down  to  the  shore 
across  the  bay  opposite  to  that  in  which  the  marines  were  busy  and  opened  fire 
without  giving  notice  of  their  purpose.  Then  the  "  Texas  "  belched  smoke 
and  flame,  first  on  one  side  and  then  on  the  other,  pouring  shrapnel  into  the 
cover  toward  which  the  marines  were  advancing.  An  armed  collier  added 
the  music  of  her  guns.  The  splutter  of  rifles  was  heard  on 
lnaStr™<*Sh°t  both  sides  of  us,  and  on  the  flank  thundered  McCalla  of 

and  Shell. 

the  "  Marblehead."  It  struck  me  that  Captain  Philip  of 
the  "  Texas "  must  have  more  on  his  hands  than  one  man  could  possibly 
attend  to,  so  I  went  to  see  how  he  was  succeeding.  He  was  getting  his  own 
marines  and  his  machine  guns  into  boats  to  reinforce  the  hard-pressed  men 
on  the  hill.  He  had  seen  that  their  situation  was  serious.  To  the  fighting 
he  paid  no  attention,  apparently,  but  a  glance  here  and  there  told  him  that 
his  officers  were  carrying  out  his  orders..  He  had  no  thought  of  stray  bullets, 
that  was  plain.  And  he  was  not  to  be  deceived.  A  young  officer,  a  bit 
excited,  told  him  some  Spanish  troops  were  visible  beyond  the  crest  of  the 
ridge.  Up  went  the  busy  captain's  telescope.  It  was  leveled  for  an  instant 
only. 

"  Nonsense,"  he  said,  "  those  are  our  fellows,  not  Dagoes." 
And  that  night,  when  the  camp  of  the  marines  was  surrounded  on  three 
sides  by  Spanish  riflemen,  the  men  and  machine  guns,  which  Captain  Philip 
toiled  to  get  ashore  that  afternoon  while  bullets  sang  and  batteries  were 
roaring,  helped  to  sweep  back  the  enemy  and  avert  a  disaster.  Perhaps  the 
aid  he  sent  was  just  enough  to  turn  the  scale.  So  now,  when  I  think  of  that 
spirited  battle  picture  at  Guantanamo,  I  see  in  the  foreground  a  busy  man 
who  could  weigh  well  all  the  duties  which  pressed  his  attention  in  the  roar 
of  battle,  and  tell  which  was  of  paramount  importance. 


BOMBARDMENT  OF  SAN  JUAN.  53 

i 

BOMBARDMENT  OF  SAN  JUAN. 

BY  SEAMAN  EDWARD  O'NEILL,  OF  THE  "DETROIT." 

IT  was  on  or  about  April  29  that  the  flagship  "  New  York  "  signaled  to 
us  to  go  to  Key  West  and  take  on  plenty  of  coal  and  prepare  for  a  long 
voyage.     We  did  so,  and  then  anchored  outside  with  the  fleet.     It  was 
rumored  that  we  were  to  go  to  Porto  Rico.     We  got  up  anchor  on 
May  i,  and  were  starting  off  when  Sampson  got  orders  to  postpone  the  trip. 
He  then  ordered  us  to  resume  our  blockade  off  Havana.     The  men  were 
disappointed,  for  we  thought  we  were  going  to  have  a  fight. 

About  12  o'clock  the  next  day  the  "  New  York  "  ordered  us  to  get  up 
full  steam  and  follow  her.  We  picked  up  the  rest  of  the  fleet  along  the 
line.  That  night  the  signals  were  displayed,  and  the  "  New  York  "  ordered 
a  sharp  lookout,  as  the  Spanish  fleet  had  left  the  Cape  Verde  Islands,  and 
was  making  for  Porto  Rico. 

It  was  Sampson's  intention  to  steam  slow  and  wait  for  the  fleet,  engage 
in  battle  and  proceed  to  destroy  Porto  Rico.  He  lay  off  Hayti  two  days,  but 
saw  no  Spaniards.  It  was  on  May  u  that  the  "New  York"  came  along- 
side of  us  and  the  admiral  gave  us  the  following  orders: 

"  To-morrow  morning  we  shall  be  in  sight  of  Porto  Rico.  Proceed  right 
up  the  bay,  take  soundings,  and  if  they  fire  on  you  return  fire.  To-night  I 
will  transfer  my  flag  to  the  'Iowa;'  so  take  orders  from  her  and  keep  1,000 
yards  ahead  of  her."  Thus  we  had  the  honor  of  leading  the  fight. 

At  daylight  we  steamed  up  the  bay,  with  the  fleet  following.     The  port 
was  in  full  view.    We  kept  on  going,  as  no  guns  were  fired  on  us.    Sampson 
thought  we  were  getting  too  close  and  ordered  us  to  stop, 
but  the  brave  "  Detroit "  kept  right  on.  Jh* 

.  Bombardment. 

The  "Iowa"  turned  her  broadside  on  the  forts  and 

fired  a  small  gun  in  the  water.  This  was  only  a  ruse,  but  it  worked  like  a 
charm,  for  the  Spaniards  thought  we  were  firing  on  them,  and  they  opened 
fire  on  us,  and  we  right  under  their  noses — so  close  that  they  could  not 
train  their  guns  on  us.  The  "  Iowa  "  then  let  go  her  broadside  and  took 
half  of  the  main  fort  with  it ;  the  "Detroit"  followed  with  a  discharge  of 
her  six  5-inch,  and  did  terrible  work,  and  the  "  Indiana  "  and  the  monitors 
joined  the  band. 

One  of  the  "Indiana's"  1 3-inch  struck  the  barracks  and  lifted  it 
bodily.  The  guns  on  the  main  fort  spoke  only  once  ;  that  was  when  they 
first  fired,  They  never  spoke  after  the  "  Detroit's  "  first  volley.  Around  the 


54  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  BATTLES  ABOUT  SANTIAGO. 

fort  \ve  went  one  by  one,  emptying  our  guns.  After  three  hours  of  terrific 
fighting  the  fort  at  San  Juan  was  silenced.  We  then  withdrew  -and  the 
Admiral  went  back  to  his  own  ship  and  signaled  for  the  number  of 
wounded.  All  we  lost  was  one  killed  on  the  "  New  York  "  and  three 
wounded  slightly  on  the  "  Iowa."  The  "  Detroit,"  that  was  in  the  midst 
of  it  all,  did  not  receive  a  scratch. 


A  THRILLING  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  BATTLES 
ABOUT  SANTIAGO 


THE  difficulties  attending  the  inauguration  and  execution  of  the  cam- 
paign for  the  capture  of  Santiago  can  never  be  fully  understood  by 
any  except  the  participants.    These  began  with  the  landing  of  our 
troops  at  BawpJri  and  did  not  terminate  even  with  the  surrender 
nf  General  Toral. 

It  was  seldom,  indeed,  that  the  supplies  were  brought  up  to  the  fighting 
lines  in  any  great  exc?*s  of  their  immediate  needs ;  and  the  entire  absence  • 
of  the  usual  comforts  and  conveniences  of  even  the  simplest  army  life  during 
the  whole  of  the  expedition,  and  sometimes  of  medical  essentials  even  in  the 
hour  of  utmost  xieed,  was  one  of  its  most  marked  features  after  landing. 
Even  the  shelter  tents  and  flies  were  abandoned  and  all  bivouacked  without 
the  wall  of  trie  common  tent.     The  energy  with  which  every  element  was 
driven  from  first  to  last  will  be  sufficiently  understood  when  such  men  as 
General  Shafter  and  Colonels  Humphrey  and  Weston  had  the  task  in  hand. 
The  means  of  expediting  the  landing  of  stores  seemed  inadequate,  even 
to  the  last,  and  it  is  understood   that  lighter  after  lighter  ordered  to  the 
Cuban  coast  was  sunk  at  sea,  and  the  lack  of  quick  com- 
Lost  at^Sea™     munication  between  the  vessels  or  of  any  launches  was 
'apparently  irremediable.     The  extent  to  which  the  trans- 
ports suffered  in  their  ground  tackles,  capstans,  small  boats  and  other  para- 
phernalia, and  the  dread  their  masters  had  of  even  greater  loss  on  such  a 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  BATTLES  ABOUT  SANTIAGO.  55 

surf-beaten,  rock-bound  shore,  was  constantly  shown,  and  the  navy  appeared 
to  leave  the  army  at  last  much  to  its  own  devices. 

The  almost  insuperable  difficulties  that  attended  the  debarkation  of  our 
army  continued  when  the  advance  was  made,  and  the  disadvantages  of  our 
troops  operating  against  a  strongly  intrenched  and  fortified  enemy*  were 
incalculably  great.  Nothing  like  the  usual  proportion  of  artillery  was 
present  in  the  field  to  aid  the  other  arms  as  accessories  before  the  fact,  and 
the  comments  on  and  results  of  this  can  come  best  from  line  officers  of  the 
other  arms. 

The  remarkable  marksmanship  of  our  trained  soldiers  was  hardly  more 
exploited  than  the  gross  ignorance  of  our  recruits.  The  books  say  that  it 
ought  not  to  be  possible  to  successfully  assault  in  front  unshaken,  still  more 
well  fortified  infantry,  under  modern  conditions.  But  in 

this  instance  dismounted  cavalry,  as  well  as  its  confrere  of     ur0      °I.y .  °  ate9 

Book  Rules. 

the  infantry  arm,  did,  without  bayonets,  successfully  assault 
infantry  posted  on    commanding   ground,   behind    water,  well    intrenched, 
valiant  and  unshaken,  and  the  severity  of  the  task  is  indicated  by  the  list 
of  casualties,  as  compared  with  the  actual  numbers  which  the  immediately 
opposing  trenches  held. 

When  the  fight  was  over,  though  successful  everywhere,  we  had  no 
reserves — Bates'  independent  brigade  having  been  in  the  assault  first  at 
Caney  and  then  by  a  night  march  reinforcing  the  left  at  San  Juan  under 
most  urgent  calls.  It  was  afterward  supposed  that  the  gap  between  our 
right  and  the  bay  was  closed  by  Garcia's  forces,  and  the  demand  for  the  sur- 
render of  the  Spaniards  was  made  prior  to  any  knowledge  of  the  intention 
of  Cervera  to  escape  with  his  fleet  or  of  the  arrival  of  the  enemy's  reinforce- 
ments. Such  a  conjunction  of  events  may  indicate  the  rapidity  of  the 
changes  in  the  situation.  Indeed,  the  fighting  of  this  army  came  up  to 
the  highest  expectations,  and  accomplished  results  beyond  what  it  is  usual 
to  expect  of  a  force  so  constituted. 

At  early  dawn  of  July  i  the  troops  of  Lawton's  division  started  into  the 
position   previously  designated  for  them  to  occupy.      The  one  battery  of 
artillery  assigned  to  duty  with  this  division  for  the  day  occupied  a  position 
overlooking  the  village  of  El  Caney,  2,400  yards  distant. 
General  Chaffee's  brigade   took  up  a  position  east  of  the         ^jar  et  " 
village,  ready  to  carry  the  town  as  soon  as  it  should  have 
been  bombarded  by  the  artillery.     General  Ludlow's  brigade  took  up  a  posi- 
tion to  the  west  of  the  village  in  order  to  cut  off  the  retreat  of  the  Spaniards, 
when  they  should  be  driven  out  and  attempt  to  retreat  to  the  city  of  Santiago. 
But  with   soldierly  instinct   and  admirable   effect  he   closed  in   upon   the 


56  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  BATTLES  ABOUT  SANTIAGO. 

defences  of  the  village,  and  his  white  sailor  hat  became  a  target  for  the  enemy 
during  the  hours  he  hugged  the  blockhouses  on  his  flank  of  the  well-defended 
village.  Colonel  Miles'  brigade  was  held  in  reserve  south  of  the  village. 

The  artillery  opened  fire  about  7  a.  m.  The  battery  was  entirely 
beyond  the  reach  of  small  arms'  fire,  and  the  enemy  had  no  artillery.  The 
battery  opened  with  shrapnel  at  what  appeared  to  be  a  column  of  cavalry 
moving  along  the  road  from  El  Caney  toward  Santiago,  then  fired  a  few 
shots  at  the  blockhouse,  then  a  few  at  hedges  where  the  enemy's  infantry 
seemed  to  be  located,  and  then  fired  a  few  shots  into  the  village.  At  about 
1 1  o'clock  the  battery  stopped  firing.  During  all  this  time  a  continuous  fire 
of  musketry,  partly  firing  at  will  and  partly  by  volleys,  was  kept  up  along  all 
parts  of  the  lines.  Our  advance  was  drawing  closer  toward  the  enemy's 
works,  and  the  brigade  in  reserve  brought  up  the  line. 

General  Bates'  independent  brigade  reached  the  position  in  the  afternoon 

and  also  went  into  the  line,  all  closing  on  toward  the  village.     Between  i 

and  2  o'clock  the  division  commander  directed  the  battery 

Fine  Artillery         f  artil]ery  to  concentrate  its  fire  upon  the  stone  fort,  or 
Practice.  r 

blockhouse,  situated  on  the  highest  point  in  the  village  on 
the  northern  side,  and  which  was  the  key-point  to  the  village.  The  practice 
of  artillery  against  this  was  very  effective,  knocking  great  holes  in  the 
fort  and  rendering  it  untenable.  The  infantry  of  Chaffee's,  Bates'  and 
Miles'  brigades  then  made  an  assault  upon  the  work  and  carried  it. 

There  were  a  number  of  small  blockhouses  on  the  other  side  of  the 
village,  from  which  a  strong  fire  was  kept  up  for  some  time  after  the  stone 
fort  had  fallen.  Word  was  sent  to  the  commander  of  artillery  to  bring  his 
battery  down  so  as  to  take  these  blockhouses,  but  by  the  time  the  battery 
had  arrived  the  fire  had  ceased.  But  there  was  one  blockhouse  still  occupied 
by  the  Spaniards,  and  at  this  the  battery  fired  four  shots,  resulting  in  the 
loss  of  a  number  of  Spaniards.  Orders  having  reached  the  division 
commander  in  the  meantime  to  withdraw  his  forces  as  soon  as  possible  and 
come  into  touch  with  the  division  on  his  left,  our  troops  were  not  moved  into 
the  village,  but  were  ordered  to  bivouac  near  the  main  road  leading  to  the 
city  of  Santiago. 

During  the  second  of  July  there  were  a  great  many  casualties,  resulting 
not  entirely  from  aimed  fire,  but  from  bullets  clearing  the  crest  of  our 
intrenchments  and  going  far  beyond,  striking  men  as  they  were  coming 
together  into  position  or  as  they  were  going  back  and  forth  bringing  water, 
caring  for  the  wounded,  etc.  Many  casualties  also  resulted  from  the  fire  of 
sharpshooters  stationed  in  trees  with  such  thick  foliage  that  the  sharpshooters 
could  not  be  seen. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  BATTLES  ABOUT  SANTIAGO.  tf 

It  seemed  incredible  that  men  should  be  so  reckless  as  to  remain  w'Chin 
our  lines  and  continue  firing,  and  it  is.  believed  by  many  that  what  was 
reported  to  be  fire  from   sharpshooters  was   simply  spent 
bullets  that  came  over  the  crest  of  our  works.     But  I  and     sjl»rP»h<>oterm 
the  members  of  my  staff  can  testify  to  the  fact    that  in 
many  places  along  the  road  leading  up  to  the  centre  of  our  lines  the  sharp 
crack  of  the  Mauser  rifle  could  be  heard  very  close  to  the  road,  and  there 
were   all    the    usual     indications    of    the    near   and    selected    aim    against 
individuals.     Scouting  parties  were  sent  out  from  time  to  time  to  get  hold 
of  these  fellows,  and  a  number  of  them  were  captured  or  shot ;  it  was  not 
until  a  day  or  two  afterward,  however,  that  they  were  all  cleared  out. 

Our  troops  suffered  a  great  deal  of  unavoidable  exposure  from  heat  and 
rain.  Many  days  and  nights  it  was  necessary  for  them  to  bivouac  without 
putting  up  their  shelter  tents.  In  other  cases  the  ground  was  so  wet 
that  it  was  impossible  to  be  protected  from  it,  and  so  our  men  were  obliged 
to  remain  for  days  and  nights  in  their  wet  clothing,  the  same  being  true  of 
officers  as  of  men.  All  this,  moreover,  occurred  within  a  day's  march  of  the 
base  of  supplies. 

We  were  told  when  we  entered  upon  the  campaign  that  it  was  necessary 
above  all  things  to  sleep  off  the  ground,  and  hammocks  were  recommended 
to  secure  this  end.  Some  were  seen  in  the  original  bales 
on  the  transports,  but  it  is  doubtful  whether  the  soldiers 
could  have  carried  hammocks  in  addition  to  what  they 
already  had  to  carry.  Even  such  heavy  intrenching  tools  as  were  on  hand 
were  felt  to  be  a  burden.  Some  men,  notably  among  the  volunteers, 
started  out  with  overcoats,  but  these  were  left  on  the  transports  or  quickly 
abandoned  ;  in  some  cases  even  blankets,  blouses  and  underclothing  were 
thrown  away.  Knapsacks  were  strewn  along  the  roadsides.  And*yet  it  is 
almost  as  difficult  in  the  Cuban  climate  to  keep  warm  at  night  as  it  is  to 
keep  cool  in  the  daytime.  What  became  of  personal  property  wherever  left 
will  possibly  prove  a  problem  for  some  one  to  solve.  On  the  subject  of 
uniforms  it  is  said,  the  khaki  uniform  quickly  loses  its  shape  and  dandy 
color,  and  is  not  strong  enough  to  withstand  the  thorns  constantly  met 
with  beside  the  roads.  The  knapsack  or  pack  seems  to  disappear  and  all 
come  down  naturally  to  the  blanket  roll. 

A  serious  question  presented  was  the  disposition  of  the  heavy  pack 
when  the  soldier  goes  into  action.  Shall  he  carry  it  with  him,  weighing 
him  down  in  the  charge  and  pursuit,  or  shall  he  throw  it  away  never  to  see 
it  again,  perhaps?  In  the  battles  of  July  i  and  2  it  became  in  most 
cases  a  physical  necessity  to  throw  the  pack  aside.  In  some  instances  the 


58  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  BATTLES  ABOUT  SANTIAGO. 

regiments  deposited  their  packs  by  the  roadside  and  marched  some  miles 
after  the  battle  to  recover  them  again.  In  others,  packs  were  thrown 
haphazard  into  the  bushes,  and  in  many  cases  were  never  recovered  by  their 
proper  owners.  Apparently  the  Cubans  and  the  sick  found  some  comfort 
from  the  owners'  loss.  Both  pack  animals  and  packers  were  overworked. 
It  was  some  time  before  the  wagons  could  be  unloaded  and  used.  At  one 
time  the  places  of  the  packers,  who  were  nearly  all  sick,  were  taken  by 
men  from  the  firing  line. 

As  an  indication  of  the  strain,  little  or  no  commissary  supplies,  such  as  are 
furnished  by  post  exchange  and  commisssaries,  were  at  any  time  furnished  be- 
yond Sabilla.  Such  things  as  pocket-combs,  tooth  brushes, 
*es  °f  shoestrings>  matches,  tobacco,  pipes— little  things  that  did 
not  take  up  much  room  and  are  of  such  small  weight,  but  are 
of  incalculable  importance  to  the  soldier — were  not  to  be  had.  The  stories  of 
the  prices  paid  for  tobacco,  and  discontent  about  insufficient  coffee,  officers 
without  a  shirt  to  their  backs,  and  clusters  of  them  in  ragged  and  soiled 
trousers,  are  too  numerous  to  need  more  than  a  reference. 

The  volunteers  found  it  difficult  to  contend  with  an  invisible  enemy 
poufing  in  an  effective  fire  from  a  position  impossible  to  determine.  The 
bayonet  was  not  used  in  the  campaign,  except  as  an  intrenching  tool  and  to 
grind  coffee. 

In  the  beginning  the  Cuban  soldiers  were  used  largely-as  outposts  on  our 
front  and  flanks.  There  was  a  great  deal  of  discussion  among  officers 
of  the  expedition  concerning  the  Cuban  soldiers  and  the  aid  they 
rendered.  It  appears  that  they  had  very  little  organization  or  discipline, 
and  they  did  not,  of  course,  fight  in  the  battle  line  with  our  troops. 
Yet  in  every  skirmish  or  fight  where  they  were  present  they  seemed  to 
have  a* fair  proportion  of  killed  and  wounded.  They  were  of  undoubted 
assistance  in  our  first  landing  and  fti  scouting  our  front  and  flanks.  It 
was  not  safe,  however,  to  rely  upon  their  fully  performing  any  specific 
duty,  according  to  our  expectation  and  understanding,  unless  they  were 
under  the  constant  supervision  and  direction  of  one  of  our  own  officers, 
as  our  methods  and  views  were  so  different  and  misunderstanding  or  failure 
so  easy. 


DEWEY'S  VICTORY  IN  MANILA  BAY.  59 

DEWEY'S  VICTORY  IN  MANILA  BAY. 


A  Graphic  Description  of  the  Great  Engagement,  by  an  Eye  Witness. 

BY  E.  W.  HARDEN, 

COMMODORE  DEWEY'S  final  instructions  from  the  Navy  Depart- 
ment were  brief.     He  was  advised  that  "  hostilities  had  commenced 
between   Spain  and   the  United   States,"   and   he  was  directed  to 
"proceed   to  the   Philippine    Islands,   find   the  Spanish  fleet  and 
capture  or  destroy  it." 

At  5  p.  m.  on  Saturday,  April  23,  the  acting  Governor  of  the 
British  colony  at  Hong  Kong,  Wilson  Block,  notified  Commodore  Dewey 
that  as  "  a  state  of  war  existed  between  the  United  States  and  the  Kingdom 
of  Spain  "  he  had  been  "  instructed  by  Her  Majesty's  Government  to  ordei 
the  United  States  squadron  to  leave  the  harbor  of  Hong  Kong  and  the 
waters  of  the  colony  by  four  o'clock  p.  m.  Monday,  April  25."  Commodore 
Dewey,  whose  preparations  had  been  completed,  sailed  on  Sunday  afternoon 
without  waiting  for  the  expiration  of  the  time  fixed  by  the  British  Govern- 
ment. During  the  six-hundred-mile  voyage  to  Manila  the  squadron  changed 
its  formation  several  times  to  prove  the  ability  of  the  ships  to  manoeuvre  to  the 
satisfaction  of  Commodore  Dewey.  On  Saturday  afternoon, 
April  30,  the  headland  of  Cape  Bolinao,  in  the  Philippine 

Preparations 

Islands,  was  sighted.  Made  for  Battle. 

Only  half  the  boilers  of  the  squadron  had  been  in  use 

since  the  squadron  sailed  from  Hong  Kong.  Fires  were  now  kindled  under 
every  boiler.  Black  smoke  poured  from  every  funnel.  Splinter  nettings 
were  spread,  fire  hose  was  run  between  decks  ready  instantly  to  drown  any 
fire  caused  by  bursting  shells,  ammunition  hoists  were  tried,  magazines 
opened  arid  every  strip  of  bunting,  except  the  signal  flags  used  in  navy 
codes,  was  taken  in.  Stanchions,  rails,  davits  and  other  movable  stuff  was 
unshipped  and  stowed  below,  where  no  shot  could  reach  them  to  create 
dangerous  splinters.  The  few  lifeboats  left  on  board  were  gotten  into  shape 
for  lowering  to  be  towed  behind  a  steam  launch  away  from  the  ships  in 
action.  All  spars  and  ladders  which  could  not  be  stowed  below  decks  were 
swung  over  the  sides  of  the  ships.  Rigging  that  could  be  dispensed  with  was 
taken  down,  and  the  wire  stays  which  stiffen  the  masts  were  so  lashed  with 
ropes  that  if  shot  away  they  could  not  fall  on  deck  to  interfere  with  the 
working  of  the  guns. 


rx-  DEWEY'S  VICTORY  IN  MANILA  BAY. 

Commodore  Dewey's  officers  made  no  effort  to  create  a  belief  among  the 

mm  that  the  battle  would  be  easily  won.     On  the  contrary,  they  were  told 

that   the    Spanish   fleet  was   twice   as   numerous  as    tlve 

American,  carried  twice  as  many  men,  almost  as  many 

a  Great  flat Je.  ' 

guns,  and,  with  the  forts,  the  mines  and  the  torpedoes, 
which  were  of  inestimable  advantage  in  defensive  operations,  the  Spaniards 
were  known  to  have  some  advantage  over  us. 

It  "was  now  7  p.  m.,  Saturday,  April  30.  As  darkness  fell  and  the  crews 
went  to  their  battle^ve  supper,  the  spirit  of  excitement  rose  to  exultation. 
Electric  lights  stil!  darned  in  every  porthole  and  cabin  and  at  ever}'  mast- 
head, and  with  the  ttd  and  white  answering  signal  lights  our  fleet  looked 
like  a  squadron  of  excursion  boats  returning  to  New  York  from  a  day's 
pleasure  trip  down  the  bay.  By  nine  o'clock,  however,  the  battle  ports  were 
closed,  and  while  lights  were  burning  brightly  in  the  cabins,  not  a  ray 
showed  from  the  outside.  The  side  lights  required  by  law  on  all  vessels  at 
sea  were  not  displayed.  The  mast  lights  were  put  out.  When  the  entrance 
to  Manila  Bay  was  twenty  miles  away  the  only  ray  of  light  that  gleamed 
from  any  ship  was  the  stein  signal  inclosed  in  a  box  so  that  it  could  be  seen 
only  by  ships  directly  in  the  wake  of  the  vessels. 

The  flagship  led  the  way.  The  "  Baltimore,"  about  400  yards  astern, 
followed  the  sterulight  of  the  flagship ;  the  "  Boston,"  third  in  line,  followed 

the  sternlight  of  the  "  Baltimore,"  and  so  on  down  to  the 
Formation  of  the    SUppiy  gj^pg  more  than  a  mile  astern.     Every  man  in  the 

Battle  Line. 

fleet  then  knew  that  Commodore  De\vey  was  going  to  run 
the  gantlet  of  the  forts  at  Corregidor,  and  if  possible  do  it  without  being 
discovered.  The  speed  was  six  knots  an  hour.  The  sky  was  overcast,  but 
the  moon  showed  behind  fleecy  clouds.  The  sea  was  just  heavy  enough  to 
give  the  ships  a  gentle  undulation.  Commodore  Dewey  timed  his  arrival 
with  such  wonderful  precision  that  it  was  within  a  few  minutes  of  midnight 
when  the  Corregidor  Island  light  flashed  ahead.  The  entire  fleet,  with 
neither  increased  nor  diminished  speed,  steamed  tranquilly  on  into  the 
darkness  of  Manila  Bay. 

The  entrance  is  through  either  one  of  two  passes  lying  on  either  side 
of  Corregidor  Island.  The  north  pass  is  called  Boca  Chico  and  it  is  one 
mile  wide.  Both  on  the  island  and  the  mainland  there  are  heavy  forts  with 
Krupp  guns  of  high  power.  Commodore  Dewey  had  received  information 
at  Hong  Kong,  which  afterward  proved  to  be  correct,  that  there  were  mines 
guarding  this  approach.  The  south  pass  is  called  Boca  Grande  and  is  five 
miles  wide.  But  the  water  is  not  so  deep  as  in  the  narrow  passage,  and 
there  are  many  rocks.  Commodore  Dewey  chose  Boca  Grande,  however. 


DEWEY'S  VICTORY  IN  MANILA  BAY.  61 

The  flagship  steamed  stealthily  on  and  at  midnight  was  directly  in  the 
line  of  fire  between  the  two  forts.     Not  a  sound  was  heard.     I  stood  on  the 
forecastle  deck  of  the  "  McCulloch  "  watching  with  breath- 
less suspense  the  dark  lines  of  Corregidor  and  of  the  main- 

regidor  at  Night. 

land  which  guarded  the  narrows.     While  the  flagship  was 
close  to  the  narrows  the  smokestack  of  the  "  McCulloch  "  suddenly  belched 
tongues  of  flame.     The  soot  of  the  soft  coal  had  taken  fire  under  the  intense 
heat  of  the  furnaces,  which  were  storing  up  energy  for  the  coining  battle. 

Suddenly  there  was  a  bright  flash  of  light  from  the  mainland.  A  shot 
sped  across  the  water  just  forward  of  us.  Then  the  "'  Raleigh,"  the  next 
ship  in  line  ahead  of  us,  instantly  answered  the  challenge  with  a  shot  from 
one  of  her  heavy  guns.  The  "  McCulloch  "  followed  with  three  6-pounders 
whizzing  toward  the  flash  of  light  ashore.  Concealment  we  now  thought 
useless.  The  forts  answered  twice,  and  the  "Boston"  closed  the  short, 
sharp  duel  with  a  long  shot  from  her  heavy  8-inch  after  gun,  which  it  was 
afterwards  ascertained  actually  hit  the  fort. 

The  ships  were  soon  out  of  range.     There  is  no  telegraphic  communi- 
cation between  the    entrance  to  the  bay  and  the  fort  at 
Cavite  and  the  City  of  Manila.     It  seems  incredible,  but  No  sPanish  Com- 

.  munication  with 

it  is  proof  of  the  utter  inefficiency  of  the  Spanish  prepa-  Manila. 

rations  for  defence,  that  no  provision  was  made  to  notify 
the  sleeping  city  and  the  Spanish  fleet  of  the  arrival  of  the  American  squad- 
ron, and  so  our  appearance  was  a  genuine  surprise.  From  Corregidor  to 
Manila  is  nearly  seventeen  miles,  and  as  Commodore  Dewey  did  not  want  tc 
begin  battle  until  it  was  light  enough  for  his  gunners  to  see  the  enemy,  he 
signaled  with  the  red  and  white  lights  to  proceed  in  double  column  formation 
at  a  speed  of  four  knots  an  hour. 

The  Commodore  next  signaled  orders  for  the  men  to  rest.  The  gun- 
ners lay  down  on  the  decks — anywhere  they  could  find  room.  As  there  was 
a  possibility  of  the  battle  opening  at  any  moment  everything  was  in  readi- 
ness, every  gun  loaded,  every  furnace  blazing  at  full  power,  every  water- 
tight compartment  closed  below  deck,  magazines  opened,  ammunition  hoists 
filled,  gun  crews  stripped  naked  to  the  waist — and  then  the  men  were  told 
to  lie  down  at  their  posts  and  get  some  sleep,  so  that  their  nerves  might  be 
steady  for  the  great  battle  in  the  morning.  Officers  moved  about  inspecting 
every  point  on  the  ships  over  and  over  again,  and  conversing  in  low  tones, 
so  as  not  to  disturb  the  sleepers  between  whose  legs  they  were  obliged  to  walk. 

A  few  moments  before  5  a.  in.,  as  the  sky  was  lighting  with  the  dawn, 
the  spires  of  Manila  appeared,  dimly  outlined  on  the  horizon  and  below 
them  the  round  domes  of  the  public  buildings. 


62  DEWEY'S  VICTORY  IN  MANILA  BAY. 

The   Commodore's  orders  were  so  well  understood  that  there  was  no 

interchange  of  signals.     Dewey  himself  stood  on  the  forward  bridge  of  the 

"  Olympia,"  at  its  most  exposed  place,  toward  the  forts  and 

Dewey  Takes  His    the  Spanish  fleets.     When  the  flagship  was  within  4,500 

Position  on   the  .  , 

Forward  Bridge.    }'ards  of   Cavite    the    fort  opened    fire.      Dewey    paid    no 

attention,  but  waited  to  see  how  quickly  the  Spanish  gun- 
ners would  get  his  range.  His  intention  was  to  destroy  the  Spanish  fleet 
first,  then  the  forts  at  and  near  Cavite,  and  finally  the  forts  at  Manila,  further 
up  the  bay.  The  Spanish  flagship  "  Reina  Cristina,"  lying  nearly  a  mile 
up  the  bay,  beyond  Cavite,  inaugurated  the  naval  combat  by  opening  fire  on 
the  "Olympia"  at  4,000  yards  range,  to  which  challenge,  however,  Com- 
modore Dewey  did  not  reply.  The  squadron  moved  steadily  on,  the 
*"  Olympia"  far  in  the  lead,  the  sole  target  for  both  the  Spanish  ships  and 
the  forts.  The  flagship  had  proceeded  unscathed  more  than  half  a  mile 
further,  and  shots  were  falling  all  about  her,  when  Commodore  Dewey  turned 
to  Captain  Grigsby  and  said  : 

"  Now,  Grigsby,  you  can  begin  firing." 

The  "  Olympia  "  slowly  swung  around,  presenting  her  port  side  to  the 

enemy's  guns.     As  she  did  so,  her  two  8-inch  guns  were  discharged  almost 

simultaneously.     Before  the  echoes  of  the  "  Olympia's" 

guns  ceased  to  reverberate,  the  "Baltimore,"  following  in 

her  wake,  joined  the  attack  with  her  8  and  6-inch  guns. 

Each  ship  manoeuvered  exactly  like  the  "  Olympia,"  with  slow  deliberation, 

absolute  precision  and  in  perfect  order/ 

The  u  McCulloch  "  stood  in  behind  the  line  of  battleships,  but  close  at 
hand  with  heavy  hawsers  stretched  across  her  quarter-deck,  ready  to  dart  in 
and  tow  out  of  range  any  of  our  vessels  which  should  become  disabled. 
Four  Spanish  land  forts  and  six  warships  lying  in  the  harbor^ at  Cavite 
were  belching  incessant  torrents  of  flame,  notwithstanding  which,  after  the 
squadron  had  passed  in  line  before  the  enemy,  using  all  the  port  guns,  it 
turned  deliberately  and  repassed  the  forts  and  the  fleet,  this  time  using  the 
starboard  guns.  And  so  while  there  was  no  diminution  of  the  broadsides, 
the  gunners  who  worked  the  starboard  batteries  had  ten  minutes  of  rest  while 
the  port  batteries  were  in  action,  and  then,  when  the  ships  turned  again,  the 
starboard  batteries  were  again  brought  into  action  and  the  port  batteries  were 
at  rest  Five  times  our  squadron  paraded  thus  in  battle  line  before  the 
enemy's  fleet  and  forts,  within  a  range  of  2,000  yards. 

During  the  third  passage  the  Spanish  Admiral,  Patritro  Particio  Montojo 
y  Pasaron,  on  his  flagship  "  Reina  Cristina,"  a  modern  steel  cruiser  of  high 
power,  quick-firing  guns,  steamed  slowly  out  to  meet  the  "  Olympia." 


DEWEY'S  VICTORY  IN  MANILA-  BAY.  63 

Commodore  Dewey  leaned  over  the  bridge  to  tell  one  of  his  aides,  who  was 
on  the  deck  below,  to  go  through  the  ship  and  give  orders  personally  to  the 
captain  of  each  gun  crew  to  concentrate  his  fire  upon  the  "  Reina  Christina." 

Admiral  Montojo,  like  Commodore  Dewey,  stood  on  his  bridge,  unpro- 
tected, with  his  two  sons  as  aides.     The  next  time  our  fleet  passed  the  line 
the     Spanish    admiral    again    steamed    out    toward    the 
"  Olympia."     Again   all   the  guns   of  our  flagship   were      thU<L, 
concentrated  on  her.     It  was  a  duel  between  two  flagships. 
A  shot  from  one  of  the  "  Olympia's  "  5-inch  guns  tore  away  one  end  cf  the 
bridge  on  which  Admiral  Montojo  stood.     Undismayed,  he  stepped  to  the 
other  end  and  continued  to  direct  the  fire  of  his  gun  crews. 

This  time  the  two  flagships  approached  to  within  less  than  2,000  yards 
of  each  other  before  the  "  Reina  Cristina "  tried  to  turn  back.  As  she 
swung  round  to  retire  under  the  protection  of  the  guns  at  Cavite  an 
8-inch  shell  from  one  of  the  "  Olympia's  "  forward  guns  struck  the  "  Reina 
Cristiua  "  squarely  on  the  stern,  under  the  protective  deck,  and  plougheo 
through  until  it  almost  reached  the  ship's  bow,  blowing  up  the  main  forward 
magazine  in  its  course.  The  flagship  was  wrecked  by  this  one  shot.  Her 
sides  were  riddled  and  her  crew  practically  annihilated  by  the  flying  missiles 
from  the  exploded  shell.  Admiral  Dewey  learned  from  the  British  Consul 
the  next  day  that  130  people  were  killed  in  the  "  Reina  Cristina,"  includ- 
ing the  captain  aeminanding,  and  ninety  were  wounded  by  this  single  shot, 
which  number"  represented  75  per  cent  of  the  ship's  complement. 

Admiral  Dewey,  at  7.30,  after  three  hours  of  incessant  battle,  signaled 
the  fleet  to  withdraw  and  report  casualties.  Thereupon  the  flagship  halyards 
blossomed  with  fluttering  signals.  Small  boats  were  lowered  from  our  ships, 
and  we  saw  the  commanding  officer  of  each  being  rowed  toward  the 
"  Olympia."  Captain  Hodgdon  was  away  not  more  than  thirty  minutes,  but 
it  seemed  an  age  to  us.  Finally  we  saw  Him  returning  in  his  gig  with  a 
smile  on  his  face,  but  we  were  not  prepared  for  the  almost  unbelievable 
statement  which  he  made  as  he  ascended  the  companionway.  Captain 
Hodgdon  said  : 

"There  was  not  a  single  man  killed  in  our  entire  fleet,  nor  one  seri- 
ously wounded.  Our  ships  have  suffered  no  damage  worth  reporting.  The 
battle  will  go  on  as  soon  as  the  men  have  had  breakfast." 

At    10.30    o'clock,    after     two    hours     and      forty        stop  Fir!flg 

'        Until   Breakfast 

minutes'  rest,    the  fleet   again    formed    in  line    of   battle,         js  served. 
this  time  the  "  Baltimore  "  leading  toward  Cavite.     The 
dispatch  boat  "  McCulloch  "  was  lying  about  three  miles  from  the  town  of 
Manila,  which  presented  a  scene  of  perfect  quiet  and  almost  matchless  beauty. 


64  DEWEY'S  VICTORY  IN  MANILA  BAY. 

Before  the  "  Baltimore  "  reopened  the  cannonading  we  could  hear  che 
sound  of  church  bells  in  Manila  softly  floating  across  the  water.  The  peace- 
ful calm  of  the  scene  seemed  real  arid  the  battle  a  dream.  The  "  Baltimore  " 
is  not  a  beautiful  ship.  She  is  not  even  armored,  but  she  has  the  lines^of 
a  battleship  and  she  looked  magnificent  as  she  went  straight  at  the  enemy, 
with  every  gun  trained  forward.  She  had  been  ordered  to  silence  the 
most  active  of  the  forts  on  the  mainland — that  at  Canacao  Point. 

The  second  engagement  continued  two  hours  and  ten  minutes,  the 
Spaniards  fighting  with  unabated  courage,  but  only  one  of  their  shells 
penetrated  an  American  ship,  the  "  Baltimore,"  striking  on  the  starboard 
breast  and  passing  through,  but  was  deflected  by  a  steel  stanchion  and  made 
to  retrace  its  course.  It  was  this  shot  that  caused  practically  all  the  damage 
that  any  of  our  ships  sustained  in  the  action,  and  which  by  striking  and 
exploding  two  6-inch  shells  wounded  seven  seamen,  but  none  seriously. 
These  were  the  only  casualties  to  the  American  forces.  The  last  Spanish 
fort  at  Canacao  Point  signaled  at  12.30,  by  international  code  flags,  "We 
surrender." 

The  havoc  done  by  the  guns  of  the  American  fleet  had  been  even  more 
terrible  than  was  first  reported.  Spanish  officials  were  reticent  as  to  their 
casualties,  but  there  was  evidence  that  the  number  of  killed  was  at  least 
321,  and  that  more  than  700  were  wounded.  This  is  the  most  accurate 
estimate  that  could  be  obtained  by  Admiral  Dewey  two  weeks  after  the 
battle,  nor  have  the  losses  been  accurately  ascertained  since  the  conclusion 
of  the  war. 

As  to  the  ships  destroyed,  the  wrecks  of  all  of  Montojo's  ships  were  lying 

in  the  shallow  water  about  Cavite,  silent  witnesses  to  the  terrible  bombardment. 

The  "  Reina  Cristina,"  the  one  which  suffered  so  great 

a  loss  of  life,  was  a  first-class  cruiser  of  3,520  tons  dis- 

Engagement. 

placement.  She  carried  six  1 6-centimetre  breech-loading 
rifles,  three  6-pounder  rapid-fire,  two  3-inch  rapid-fire,  two  9-pounder  rapid- 
fire  and  six  37-millimetre  Hotchkiss  revolving  cannon.  She  had  five  torpedo 
tubes  on  board,  and  was  a  first-rate  fighting  ship  of  her  class.  She  is  still 
lying  in  four  fathoms  of  water  with  only  her  upper  works  showing.  She 
was  completely  gutted  by  fire  before  she  sank,  and  masts  and  spars  were 
charred  to  cinders.  Her  guns  are  above  water,  but  they  were  ruined  by  the 
intense  heat.  All  of  her  plates  were  bent  and  twisted  and  there  were  three 
holes  in  her  two  funnels,  made  by  shells  from  6-pounders. 

The  "Castilla"  was  a  first-class  unprotected  cruiser  of  3,260  tons,  built 
of  wood.  She  was  not  in  good  trim,  and  all  her  fighting  was  done  from  the 
bay  west  of  Cavite,  where  she  was  moored  fore  and  aft  with  her  starboard 


COCK     FIGHTERS. 


ABORIGINAL   NEGRITO. 


FEMALE    WATER    CARVIFR  SHELLING    CORN. 

TYPES   OF   THE   PHILIPPINE    NATIVES. 


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WET   PASSAGE   OF  A   DRAFTED   PASSENGER.        UNLOADING    MULES    FROM   A   TRANSPORT  OFF 

THE  COAST  OF  CUBA. 


THE  SIGNAL  QORPS  STRINGING  TELEGRAPH  WIRES  IN  PORTO  RICO. 


SPANIARDS  LOOTING  HOUSES  IN   SANTIAGO  JUST   BEFORE  THE  SURRENDER 


CAPTAIN    EVANS   RECEIVING   ADMIRAL  CERVERA   ON    BOARD   THE    "IOWA," 
AFTER  THE  SURRENDER,  JULY  3,  1898. 


Copyright   ^898,  by  the  Woolfall  Company.  From  the  original  drawing  by  Victor  S.  Perard. 

BOILER  ROOM  OF  THE  "BROOKLYN"  DURING  SCHLEY'S  ENGAGP- 
MENT  WITH  CERVERA'S  SQUADRON,  JULY  3,   1898. 


DEWEY'S  VICTORY  IN  MANILA  BAY.  65 

battery  exposed  to  the  fire  of  our  guns.  The  "  Castilla  "  had  a  battery  of 
four  15-centimetre  and  two  12-centimetre  Krupp  breech-loading  guns  and 
two  torpedo  tubes.  She  is  lying  sunken  and  burned  near  the  "  Reina 
Cristina,"  and  only  her  upper  works  now  show  above  water. 

In  the  harbor  with  the  "  Castilla"  and  "  Cristina  "  is  the  wreck  of  the 
"Don  Antonio  de  Ulloa,"  an  iron  ship  of  1,160  tons,  which  was  equipped 
with  four  12-centinietre,  two  y-centimetre,  four  42-millimetre  Nordenfeldt, 
four  Hotchkiss  revolving  cannon  and  two  torpedo  tubes.  She  is  one  of  the 
few  ships  that  was  not  burned  by  our  shells.  She  was  hit  by  an  8-iiich 
shell  which  seemed  to  break  her  in  two,  and  she  sank  of  her  own  weight. 

Behind  Cavite  in  a  sheltered  bay  there  are  the  wrecks  of  six  other 
Spanish  ships  which  were  either  burned  or  sunk  by  the  American  fleet. 

Graduates  of  the  Naval  Academy,  at  Annapolis,  during  the  last  twenty 
years  know  personally  or  by  reputation  Commander  Woods,  who  was  called 
familiarly  "  Tanglefoot "  Woods,  because  of  his  peculiar  way  of  walking. 
If  he  did  not  deserve  the  appellation  because  of  his  peculiar  movements 
before,  he  is  certainly  entitled  to  it  now.  He  had  been  assigned  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  "  Petrel,"^  the  little  gunboat,  which  has 
hitherto  been  looked  upon  as  a  joke.  People  of  the  fleet  Thc  "Petrel" 

C  1.  a  ^  ^e    the. 

were  not  looking  for  anything  from  the  "  Petrel."     They  Honors. " 

thought  she  was  so  small   that  she  would   be  practically 
useless  in  any  general  engagement,  though  she  might  do  to  run  down  small 
gunboats  or  to  explore  rivers. 

During  the  opening  engagement  the  "  Petrel"  had  proven  so  effective 
that  she  was  assigned  important  work  when  our  ships  went  into  action  the 
second  time.  She  was  given  a  fort  to  silence  and  she  silenced  it.  Her  draught 
is  small,  and  she  was  able,  therefore,  to  run  up  close  to  the  fort,  which  she 
promptly  did.  If  she  had  been  a  battle-ship,  with  eighteen  inches  of  Har- 
veyized  steel  armor,  instead  of  being  a  little  gunboat,  without  even  a  pro- 
tective deck,  she  could  not  have  behaved  with  greater  bravery.  Notwith- 
standing a  heavy  fire  from  the  forts  she  laid  up  close  to  the  shore  and  sent 
in  shots  as  fast  as  her  guns  could  be  served,  until  the  fort  was  silenced  and 
she  had  achieved  a  victory  which  placed  her  commander  among  the  heroes 
of  the  war,  not  only  so  far  as  bravery  is  concerned,  but  for  execution  and 
skill  in  handling  his  craft. 

The  day  of  the  battle  the  "  Petrel "  was  given  another  important  com- 
mission. Behind  the  breakwater  and  the  arsenal  at  Cavite  were  the  remain- 
ing ships  of  the  Spanish  flotilla.  These  ships  had  done  some  service  during 
the  battle,  running  out  from  their  place  of  shelter  to  fire  a  few  shots  and 
then  returning  to  a  place  of  safety.  They  were  not  quick  enough,  however, 

« 


66  DEWEY 'S  VICTORY  IN  -MANILA  BAY. 

to  escape  American  shells,  and  all  of  them  had  been  riddled  and  some  of 
them  set  on  fire  by  shots  from  our  guns.  To  the  u  Petrel  "  was  assigned 
the  task  of  destroying  these  ships  as  well  as  some  of  the  torpedo  boats 
which,  it  was  reported,  still  remained  capable  of  service.  The  commodore 
was  fearful  of  Spanish  treachery,  and  of  the  possibility  of  some  of  these 
torpedo  boats  coming  out  during  the  night  and  attacking  our  vessels.  The 
"  Petrel "  was  sent  to  look  after  the  vessels  in  the  inner  harbor,  and  she  did 
her  work  well.  Everything  that  was  afloat,  except  the  "  Manila,"  a  storeship, 
and  some  small  steamers,  were  absolutely  destroyed  by  the  "  Petrel."  When 
she  came  out  of  the  harbor  at  5  o'clock  there  was  not  enough  left  of  the- 
Spanish  fighting  fleet  to  destroy  an  Erie  Canal  boat.  We  could  hear  the 
sound  of  explosions  and  see  clouds  of  white  smoke  rising  in  the  air  and  we 
knew  the  "  Petrel "  was  busy,  but  she  had  shown  an  ability  during  the 
morning  to  get  busy  and  we  were  therefore  not  surprised.  But  she  was 
gone  so  long  that  we  finally  became  anxious  for  her  safety.  About  5  o'clock 
we  saw  her  come  steaming  slowly  out,  with  six  boats  in  tow,  ranging  in 
size  from  a  loo-ton  steam  tug  to  a  little  steam  launch.  As  she  passed  by 
the  fleet  all  of  the  ships  gave  her  a  rousing  cheer. 

Early  Monday  morning  (May  2$)  a  small  tug  flying  the  Spanish  flag,  but 
with  a  flag  of  truce  at  the  bow,  came  up  the  bay  from  the  direction  of 
Corregidor.  She  went  alongside  the  flagship  and  a  Spanish  officer  boarded 
her.  She  came  to  propose  a  surrender  of  the  forts  at  Corregidor.  Up  to 
this  time  the  Cavite  forts  had  not  received  much  of  our  attention,  but  now 
Commodore  Dewey  sent  his  men  ashore,  and  in  a  few  hours  they  had 
absolutely  annihilated  every  vestige  of  fortification  belonging  to  Spain 
in  Cavite*  harbor.  To  accomplish  the  destruction  of 
the  biS>  high~power  guns  of  the  forts  bands  of  gun 
cotton  were  wound  around  them  and  then  fired,  producing 
terrific  explosions  and  crushing  the  guns  so  they  could  not  again  be  used. 

Commodore  Dewey  did  not  want  the  surrender  of  Manila.  He  knew 
he  could  have  it  any  minute,  but  preferred  to  wait  until  a  land  force  was  at 
hand,  which  decision  was  a  wise  one,  as  subsequent  events  proved. 

Secretary  Long's  cable  despatch  announcing  the  promotion  of  Commo- 
dore Dewey  to  be  a  rear-admiral  was  well  received  in  the  fleet.  It  was 
expected,  of  course,  and  every  officer  would  have  been  disappointed  if  it  had 
not  come.  The  first  notice  of  his  promotion  that  was  issued  was  a  slip  from 
the  flagship's  printing  office,  giving  the  cable  received,  and  this  was  sent  to 
every  officer  and  was  read  at  morning  muster.  Promptly  at  8  o'clock  the 
flag  of  a  rear-admiral,  blue  ground  with  two  stars,  was  hoisted  at  the  main 
and  was  promptly  saluted  by  the  foreign  men-of-war  in  the  harbor.  Each 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  ONE  OF  DEWRY'S  GUNNERS.  67 

salute  was  returned  by  the  "  Olympia."  Spain  had  more  guns,  more  ships, 
more  men  and  could  throw  a  greater  weight  of  metal  than  the  ships  in  the 
Asiatic  fleet  of  the  United  States  Navy.  The  Spanish  officers  expected 
victory,  and  each  ship  was  manned  with  two  crews,  one  of  which  it  was 
intended  should  be  put  aboard  a  captured  vessel  when  our  fleet  surrendered. 
There  was  no  lack  of  ammunition  either,  and,  but  for  the  superiority  of 
marksmanship  on  the  part  of  our  gunners  and  the  superior  generalship  of 
our  commander-in-chief,  there  might  have  been  a  different  sort  of  story  to 
tell ;  but  a  brave  commander,  and  as  gallant  crews  as  ever  served  guns,  won 
the  victory,  which  must  henceforth  be  regarded  as  one  of  the  greatest  ever 
achieved  on  the  high  seas,  and  for  which  the  world  will  never  cease  to 
give  its  applause. 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  ONE  OF  DEWEY'S  GUNNERS. 

How  "  Dannie  "  Dooley  Won  a  Manila  Belle. 

BY  A  SHIPMATE. 

WHEN  Admiral  Dewey  took  his  ships  into  Manila  Bay  Dannie 
Dooley,  from  his  place  in  the  turret  of  the  flagship  "  Olympia," 
thought  only  of  the  battle.     After  the  smoke  had  cleared  and 
while  the  heated  waters  of  the  bay  were  caressing  the  flaming 
wrecks  of  the  enemy  Dannie  sought  the  shadow  of  his  quarters  and  wrote  a 
letter  to  little  Mamie  Donohue,  who  lives  close  to  the  bend  in  Mulberry 
street  and  had  been  Gunner  Dooley's  promised  wife  for  the  last  two  years. 

"Shure,  me  darlin'  of  darlin's"  the  letter  ran,  "we've  jist  finished  de 
scrap  wid  them  Spanish  dagoes  an'  dose  of  dem  wot  didn't  go  down  wid  de 
ships  is  a  floatin'  around  in  de  water  as  dead  as  de  mackrels  wot  yer  mudder 
fried  for  me  on  de  day  I  left  New  York.  Barrin'  a  scratch  on  me  shoulder 
an'  an  awful  thirst  in  me  troat  I'm  as  good  now  as  I  wuz  whin  de  ould  man 
started  us  on  dis  bloomin's  kruse.  Mannilly,  dear,  ain't  even  as  purty  as  old 
Jersey  City,  an'  judjin'  from  de  heat  here  in  de  bay  it  must  be  awful  hot  on 
de  shore.  Shure,  me  time  will  be  up  in  a  month,  darlin'  and  then  I'll  be 
makin'  straight  fur  ould  New  York  wid  me  pockets  full  of  prize  money  an' 
me  heart  crowded  over  wid  love  for  you." 

Three  days  after  Mr.  Dooley  had  sealed  and  posted  the  above  letter  to 
little  Miss  I)onohue  he  was  one  of  the  landing  party  sent  by  the  Admiral  to 


66  THE  ROMANCE  OF  ONE  OF  DEWEY'S  GUNNERS. 

explore  the  arsenal  at  Cavite.  Half  an  hour  after  the  soles  of  his  No.  7  boots 
had  first  caressed  the  white  sands  of  the  beach  he  earned  a  cheer  from  his 
shipmates  and  a  word  of  praise  from  his  commanding  officer  by  plunging  into 
the  surf  and  rescuing  a  native  girl  who  had  fallen  from  the  sea  wall  beyond. 
Dooley  for  the  first  time  took  a  good  look  at  the  maiden.  He  saw  that  her 
skin  was  of  the  tint  of  burnished  bronze,  that  her  eyes  were  snuff  brown  and 
beautiful,  her  feet  and  hands  were  small  and  shapely  and  the  contour  of 
her  dainty  figure  would  have  delighted  the  most  exacting  connoisseur. 

tfer  name  was  Kantisse,  and  among  the  native  women  of  old  Cavite 
she  was  an  acknowledged  belle.  When  she  recovered  from  her  swoon  the 
girl  staggered  to  her  feet  and  astonished  the  bystanders  by  coiling  her  naked 
arms  about  Dooley's  neck  and  pressing  her  full  red  lips  against  his  own. 

From  the  day  of  his  meeting  with  Kantisse  Dooley  was  a  steady 
applicant  for  shore  leave,  and  much  of  his  time  was  spent  under  the  droop- 
ing palm  trees  which  cluster  like  a  ribbon  of  green  velvet  against  the  white 
and  crumbling  fortifications  of  the  harbor.  And  the  man  was  not  alone 
during  those  warm  hours  spent  on  shore.  Kantisse  was  always  by  his  side. 

All  love  affairs  have  their  ending,  and  all  lovers  have  their  sorrows. 
One  day  Gunner  Dooley  tried  to  make  his  dusky  sweetheart  understand  that 
he  had  received  his  discharge  papers  and  intended  to  take  the  next  ship  home. 

Dannie  had  expected  tears  and  a  fainting  spell.  Instead  the  music  of 
her  laughter  rippled  in  his  ears,  and  her  soft,  brown  arms  encircled  his  red 
neck.  He  tried  to  speak  to  her ;  tried  (  to  utter  the  last  farewell.  But  her 
kisses  pressed  fast  and  warm  against  his  lips  and  all  but  smothered  his  words. 

That  very  night  Dannie  was  on  his  way  to  Hong  Kong.  Stowed  away 
in  the  hold  of  the  same  ship  was  dainty  Kantisse. 

At  Hong  Kong  the  gunner  changed  ships.  So  did  Kantisse.  Two 
days  after  the  long  voyage  to  San  Francisco  had  begun  they  found  the  girl 
and  brought  her  before  the  captain.  When  they  asked  her  the  reason  of  her 
strange  escapade  she  showed  her  white  teeth  and  murmured  : 

"  My  own  Dannie." 

Then  she  caught  a  glimpse  of  Dooley,  and  with  a  glad  cry  sank  into 
his  arms.  It  was  too  late  then  to  turn  back,  and  so  when  the  ship  glided 
into  the  harbor  of  the  Golden  Gate  Kantisse  stood  by  the  side  of  Dooley  and 
together  they  watched  the  details  of  the  landing.  Once  in  'Frisco  Dooley 
tried  to  reason  with  the  girl  and  persuade  her  to  return,  but  it  was  without 
avail.  That  night  the  train  paused  for  a  moment  at  a  wayside  station  and 
he  sent  the  following  telegram  to  his  brother  Willie  in  New  York : 

WII.UE  DOOLEY  : — Mate  me  in  Jersey  City  wid  ould  man  Harrigan's  hack  an'  de  cloak 
dat  mudder  wore  last  winter,  an'  as  youse  loves  me  say  uothin'  to  no  one  about  me  coinin'  and 
kape  Mamie  Donohue  away  from  the  station.  DANNIE  Dooi«EY. 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  ONE  OF  DEWEY'S  GUNNERS.  69 

When  Gunner  Dooley  stepped  from  the  train  in  Jersey  City  his  brother 
Willie  greeted  him  with  a  hearty  handshake  and  then  in  an  anxious  voice 
exclaimed : 

"  Fur  de  love  of  heavin,  Dannie,  wuz  yer  crazy  or  only     Mulberry  Bend 
drunk  when  ye  sint  that  telegram  to  me?"  Linked  with  Manila. 

"  Willie  Dooley,  ask  no  questions,"  replied  Dannie. 

I "  Ask  no  questions,  but  tell  me  has  yez  got  mudder's  cloak  an'  Harrigan's 
i  hack  outside  ?" 

"  Hully  gee,  de  cloak  an'  de  hack  is  outside  all  right,  but  would  yez 
moind  tellin'  me  what  yez  want  wid  mudder's  fur-lined  circler  whin  it's 
hot  as  blazes  an'  yer  sweatin'  like  'er  stoker  now?  Mudder  of  heavin, 
what  is  dat  " — 

For  Willie  Dooley  saw  a  girl,  brown  as  bronze  and  joyous  as  a  debutante, 
leap  from  the  platform  of  the  car  and  greet  his  brother  with  these  words : 

"  My  own  Dannie." 

"Willie,"  he  said,  udis  is  Miss  Kantisse.  She's  a  howlin'  swell  out  in 
Minnilley,  an'  wots  more  she's  de  goirl  I'm  goin'  ter  marry  next  Sunday  " — 

"Hully  gee,  Dannie!"  said  his  brother,  "ain't  the  loidy — ain't  she — a 
— naygur  ?" 

"  Naygur,  nothin'.  She's  my  Kantisse.  Why,  de  officers  on  board  de 
old  ship  used  tur  call  her  de  daughter  of  de  Philippines  an'  trow  bowkays  at 
me  fer  winnin'  her.  Why,  look  at  her,  Willie,  boy.  Is  der  a  goirl  in  all 
Mulberry  street  wi'  sech  eyes  an'  hair  an'  sech  a  purty  little  foot  ?  Look  at 
her  agin  an'  tell  me  if  youse  tink  dat  Mamie  Donohue,  wid  her  faded  blue 
eyes  an'  taffy-colored  hair,  is  in  de  same  class  wid  my  Kantisse.  I'm  d d 

glad  ter  hear  dat  Mame  married  der  bartender." 

******** 

After  Willie  Dooley  had  escorted  Kantisse  and  his  brother  into  the  back 
room  of  his  Mulberry  street  saloon  he  went  upstairs  and  broke  the  news  to 
old  Mrs.  Dooley. 

"  May  heavin'  preserve  us !"  exclaimed  old  Mrs.  Dooley.  "  Sind  fer 
Katie  Clancey,  the  dressmaker,  an'  thin  sind  the  pair  ov  thim  upstairs  ter 
recave  me  blessin'.  Ah,  but  I  wonder  what  that  little  Mamie  Donohue  will 
say  whin  she  hears  that  our  Dannie  has  won  a  goirl  wid  sich  a  beautiful 
name." 


70  ASSAULT  AND  CAPTURE  OF  MANILA. 


ASSAULT  AND  CAPTURE  OF  MANILA. 
BY  SIDNEY  MAY, 

(Of  the  Astor  Battery.} 

THE  magnificent  victory  of  Admiral  Dewey  in  Manila  Bay  which 
destroyed  eleven  Spanish  vessels  and  silenced  the  forts,  made  him 
master  of  the  bay,  but  the  city  (Manila)  remained  in  the  hands  of 
the  enemy.  He  could  have  wrecked  the  place,  but  to  have 
attempted  to  reduce  Manila  by  bombardment  would  doubtless  have  led  to 
complications  with  other  powers,  and  had  the  city  surrendered  Dewey  could 
not  have  taken  possession,  because  he  did  not  have  a  force  of  marines  suffi- 
cient to  hold  it.  For  this  sufficient  reason  he  held  his  squadron  intact  and 
waited  the  arrival  of  reinforcements.  To  provide  these  General  Merritt 
departed  for  Manila  with  a  force  of  6,000  men  on  June  28,  which  arrived  at 
Cavite  July  29.  Other  troops  followed  until  there  were  all  told  13,000  men 
landed  near  Manila,  among  whom  were  the  Astor  Battery.  One  of  the 
brightest  members  of  that  heroic  band  was  a  New  York  boy  named  Sidney 
May,  who  was  twice  wounded  in  the  engagement  of  August  13,  when  assault 
was  made  on  the  blockhouse  and  fortifications  of  Manila,  who  tells  the  story 
of  that  gallant  charge  as  follows  : 

I  was  a  little  behind  in  the  first  of  the  fighting,  but  made  a  rush  for  the 
front  when  the  ball  got  at  its  best.  The  first  man  I  noticed  as  I  went 
forward  on  a  trot  was  Sergeant  Marcus  E.  Holmes,  superintendent  of  the 
Army  and  Navy  Club,  New  York.  He  was  bandaging  Sergeant  Sillman's 
leg  and  I  stopped  beside  them  and  in  a  moment  after  a  pistol  charge  was 
made  on  our  left  flank,  when  blockhouse  No.  13  was  taken.  I  heard  the  order 
given  to  lie  down.  Almost  at  the  same  time  I  heard,  above  the  rattle  of 
pistols  and  guns,  a  cry,  "  My  God  !  I'm  hit !"  Then  I  saw  Sillman  get  up 
and  try  to  walk  forward.  His  leg  gave  out  under  him  and  down  he  went. 
He  got  up  again  and  tried  it,  and  down  he  went  again. 

I  said,  "Shall  I  come  over  and  help  you?"  He  said,  "  No;  I'm  all  right. 
Stay  where  you  are.  I'm  going  to  scoop  up  a  little  mud  and  sand  in  front 
of  myself."  So  I  lay  still,  and  he  scooped  up  sand  in  front  of  him.  After 
a  while  he  tried  to  crawl  off  to  the  rear,  but  he  was  so  weak  he  couldn't. 


ASSAULT  AND  CAPTURE  OF  MANILA.  71 

A  bullet  had  struck  him  on  the  right  knee-cap  and  gone  clean  through 
the  leg. 

I  said  to  Holmes,  "  Sillman's  got  it  in  the  leg."     Holmes  says,  "  I'll 
come  over  and  help  you."     Sillman  says,  "  No."     But  just  the  same  Holmes 
crawled  over  and  knelt  down  beside  Sillman,  who  sat  up 
to  show  him  his  leg.     Their  heads  were  close  together  as  Ald}n*  Hls  wo""ded 

Comrade. 

they  were  looking  at  it.     Holmes  took  out  his  handker- 
chief and  had  just  passed  it  under  the  leg,  going  to  tie  it  up,  when  Sillman 
fainted  away  and  fell  flat  on  his  back.     Then  I  heard  something  gurgling. 
There  was  Holmes,  still  kneeling  down  and  holding  his  handkerchief.     A 
Spanish  bullet  had  gone  into  his  mouth  and  blown  off  the  back  of  his  head. 

Sillman  is  getting  well  now.  While  he  was  lying  there  he  was  hit  by 
a  spent  bullet  in  the  right  hip  pocket.  It  went  through  his  Bible  and  a 
little  way  into  his  flesh.  I  guess  he  has  that  bullet  yet. 

The  pistol  charge?  That  was  made  because  the  mud  was  so  thick  we 
couldn't  drag  our  guns  any  further.  You  see  the  mud  was  waist  deep,  and 
the  guns  weighed  473  pounds  each.  The  thing  began  at  five  o'clock  in  the 
morning  and  lasted  until  five  in  the  evening.  I  guess  it  was  a  little  after 
two  o'clock  when  we  got  orders  to  give  up  our  guns  and  lie  down.  There 
we  were,  all  sprawling  in  the  mud. 

General  McArthur  came  up  on  his  little  brown  horse — say,  that  man 
was  on  his  horse  all  day  long.  I  don't  believe  he  dismounted  once  in  the 
whole  twelve  hours,  even  when  he  was  ordering  everybody  else  to  lie  down. 
Talk  about  fighters !  The  officers  were  all  like  him,  too. 

General  McArthur  came  up  and  his  horse's  hoof  was  within  six  inches 
of  my  face.  The  General  says  :  "  What  man'll  lead  a  charge  up  that  road  ?  " 
I  turned  up  my  face.  "I'll  do  it.  General,"  I  says.  "  No  ; 
General,"  says  Sergeant  Sillman;  "  I'm  a  sergeant.  I'll 
lead  it."  Then  Captain  Peyton  March,  who  had  been 
about  thirty  feet  up  the  road,  hurried  over.  "  I'm  commanding  this  battery, 
General  "  he  said.  "  I'll  lead  the  charge." 

"  Certainly,  sir,"  says  General  McArthur.  Away  we  went,  charging  the 
Spanish  blockhouse  with  nothing  but  our  pistols.  Some  of  the  men  were 
better  athletes  than  Captain  March  and  ran  ahead  of  him.  He  wouldn't 
have  that  for  a  minute.  "  Get  back  in  your  place  there,"  he  ordered  half  a 
dozen  fellows,  "  keep  behind  your  captain."  And  all  the  time  he  kept 
running  ahead  of  us  as  hard  as  he  could  go.  No  wonder  the  Spaniards  got 
out  of  that  blockhouse. 

We  were  in  the  woods  part  of  the  time,  firing  our  pistols  and  whooping 
it  up.  Private  Hollis  had  his  hat  shot  off  by  one  of  our  own  men.  About 


72  ASSAULT  AND  CAPTURE  OF  MANILA. 

a  dozen  of  us  were  away  off  from  the  others,  lost.  A  regiment  of  Filipinos 
came  marching  from  the  right.  We  were  all  alone,  as  far  as  we  could  tell, 
in  the  woods.  These  Filipinos  were  going  to  cut  in  ahead  of  us.  Sergeant 
Burdick  waved  his  pistol  at  them  and  made  signs  that  they  must  go  back. 
They  didn't  understand  English,  but  I'm  blest  if  they  didn't  turn  around 
and  march  away,  and  we  didn't  see  them  again. 

Our  guns  were  3-inch  rapid-fire  Hotchkiss  rifles,  throwing  eight  shells  a 
minute.     About  1 1  o'clock  in  the  morning  we  had  a  good  joke  on  the  First 
Colorado  Regiment.     Their  football  team  beat  ours  after- 
ward, but  on  the  day  of  the  battle  we  had  a  good  laugh 

Colorado  Men. 

on  them.  On  about  our  third  try  we  sent  a  shell  into  the 
Spanish  magazine  at  Santa  Ana.  The  place  caught  fire,  and  the  Spaniards 
ran.  The  First  Colorado  fellows  didn't  know  that.  Pretty  soon  the  car- 
tridges in  the  magazine  began  to  go  off,  a  hundred  or  so  at  a  time,  and  the 
Colorado  fellows  banged  away  at  the  magazine,  thinking  the  Spaniards  were 
firing  at  them. 

The  beginning  of  the  battle,  too,  was  funny,  now  that  it  is  over  and  I 
can  look  at  the  laughable  side  of  it.  The  first  shots  began  to  fly  at  5  o'clock 
in  the  morning  when  we  were  at  breakfast.  I  was  acting  waiter  to  Captain 
March  at  the  time,  and  confess  to  being  a  little  anxious  when  the  bullets 
began  to  spit,  and  zip,  but  holy  my  !  the  shivers  took  me  in_a  bunch  when  a 
shell  hit  the  ground  almost  at  my  feet.  I  had  Captain  March's  breakfast  on 
a  tray,  but  the  shivers  made  me  let  go  of  it  quicker  than  I  can  tell  you,  and 
the  tray  fell  on  the  shell,  which  fortunately  didn't  explode,  but  I  jumped 
like  a  frightened  bull-frog,  and  Captain  March  lost  his  breakfast. 

An  hour  after  our  hurried  scramble  from  an  uneaten  breakfast,  I  caught 
a  Mauser  bullet  in  the  fleshy  part  of  my  left  hand,  which  didn't  hurt  much, 
and  three  minutes  later  "  zip  "  another  took  me  in  the  left  leg.  I  say 
another,  but  it  wasn't  a  bullet  this  time.  Our  gun  was  unlimbered  under  a 
shock  about  three  feet  high,  and  we  had  just  fired  a  shot  when  a  Spanish 
shell  came  sailing  in  and  landed  in  the  mud  between  our  wheels,  where  it 
went  off  with  a  noise  that  blowed  me  end-over-end,  and  when  I  landed,  I 
found  that  a  scrap  of  the  shell  had  touched  my  left  peg.  It  hurt  me  worse 
than  the  Mauser,  but  I  didn't  give  up,  and  kept  my  nerve  until  the  finish,  so 
as  to  miss  none  of  the  fun,  and  the  glory,  too. 


OUR  SOLDIERS'  SONG.  73 


OUR  SOLDIERS'  SONG. 

BY  DAVID  GRAHAM  ADEE. 

"When  the  destruction  of  Cervera's  fleet  became  known  before  Santiago,  the  soldiers 
cheered  wildly,  and,  with  one  accord,  through  miles  of  trenches,  began  singing  '  The  Star 
Spangled  Banner.'  " 

SINGING   "  The  Star  Spangled  Banner  " 
In  the  very  jaws  of  death  ! 
Singing  our  glorious  anthem, 

Some  with  their  latest  breath  ! 
The  strains  of  that  solemn  music 

Through  the  spirit  will  ever  roll, 
Thrilling  with  martial  ardor 

The  depths  of  each  patriot's  soul. 

Hearing  the  hum  of  the  bullets  ! 

Eager  to  charge  the  foe ! 
Biding  the  call  to  battle, 

Where  crimson  heart  streams  flow  1 
Thinking  of  home  and  dear  ones, 

Of  mother,  of  child,  of  wife, 
They  sang  "  The  Star  Spangled  Banner  " 

On  that  field  of  deadly  strife. 

They  sang  with  the  voices  of  heroes, 

In  the  face  of  the  Spanish  guns, 
As  they  leaned  on  their  loaded  rifles, 

With  the  courage  that  never  runs. 
They  sang  to  our  glorious  emblem, 

Upraised  on  that  war-worn  sod, 
As  the  saints  in  the  old  arena 

Sang  a  song  of  praise  to  God. 


74  JUST  BEFORE  THE   BATTLE  OF  EL   CANEY. 

JUST  BEFORE  THE  BATTLE  OF  EL  CANEY. 


A  Pathetic  Tragic  Incident  of  the  War. 

WHEN  the  colonel  of  the  — th  cavalry  summoned  Captain  Burden 
to  regimental  headquarters,  some  one  at  the  officers'  mess  asked 
who  he  was,  anyway,  that  the  "  old  man  "  should  have  picked 
him  from  among  a  dozen  old  campaigners  for  a  consultation. 

"Nephew,  or  something,  to  a  senator,"  growled  a  grizzled  lieutenant, 
who  had  seen  twenty  years  of  service  and  was  jealous  of  the  — th's  reputation. 
"  Fresh  from  a  desk  in  the  War  Department,  but  all-fired  anxious  to  smell 
dago  powder." 

"  Ought  to  have  joined  the  Rough  Riders,"  added  another,  "  they'll  be 
in  the  fight  to-morrow ;  the  — th'i;  too  full  already,  an'  here's  the  old  man 
asking  him  to  supper  before  he's  seen  a  week  of  service." 

"  Tut!  "  interposed  the  regimental  surgeon,  "  Burden's  not  a  greenhorn, 
and  the  colonel  knows  it.  Reckon  you  don't  know  what  sent  him  out  of 
Washington  into  this  fever-stricken  climate ;  do  you  think  a  doughboy  'd 
join  the  fighting  — th  ?  " 

"  Come,"  said  the  adjutant,  locking  arms  with  the  surgeon,  for  he  saw 
the  latter  had  something  on  his  mind,  and  he,  too,  was  curious  about  Captain 
Burden.  "  Let's  go  outside,  and  leave  the  fellows  to  their  growling  ;  "  then, 
when  they  had  passed  beyond  the  confines  of  the  mess  tent — "  What  was  it, 
Johnson?  The  chap's  no  coward,  and  he  interests  me." 

"Well,"  said  the  surgeon  soberly,  "it  isn't  my  business,  but  I  don't 
mind  telling  you  ;  I've  a  cousin  in  the  War  Department,  a  chum  of  Burden's, 
and  he  wrote  me  to  keep  an  eye  on  him.  It  was  hard  luck  drove  him  out  of 
Washington." 

•'  Humph  !  "  growled  the  adjutant  sarcastically,  "  small  pay  and — " 

"  No,'  broke  in  the  surgeon.      "  Burden  has  an  income  and — " 

"  Then  what  the  deuce?  Why  did'nt  he  stay  in  Washington  and  leave 
us  poor  devils  to  do  the  fighting  ?  " 

"  If  you'd  been  in  Washington  it  wouldn't  take  much 
AJ"°ve  guessing"  replied  the  surgeon,  "for  if  you'd  been  there 

that  Prompted 

Sacrifices.         you'd  have  known  Miss  R — ,  and  how  she  played  Burden, 

to  throw  him  over  for  a  doughboy  ;  so  all  Washington  was 

on  to  it,  and  felt  sorry  for  the  captain,  and  didn't  wonder  when  he  threw  up  a 

fat  position  in  the  department  and  petitioned  the  Secretary  for  active  service," 


JUST  BEFORE  THE  BATTLE  OF  EL  CANEY.       75 

"And  the  doughboy?"  grunted  the  adjutant,  enlisted  for  all  time  in 
the  new  captain's  behalf.  "  stayed  in  Washington  with  the  reserves  and — " 

"  Not  much  ;  and  that's  what  puzzles  the  wise  heads  up  there.  He 
enlisted  in  the  regulars  and  lit  out  for  Santiago  along  with  Burden,  though 
I  reckon  they  didn't  come  together." 

"What's  his  name?"  asked  the  adjutant. 

The  surgeon  fumbled  for  the  letter,  glancing  over  it  by  the  light  of  a 
neighboring  lantern.  "Hardey,"  said  he,  shortly,  "and,  by  thunder,  he's  in 
the  — th!  What  if  he  and  Burden  come  together?" 

In  the  meantime  Captain  Burden,  unconscious  of  the  effect  the  summons 
from  the  colonel  had  upon  his  brother  officers,  stood  before  the  commander 
of  the  regiment,  at  headquarters. 

"  Captain  Burden,"  said  the  latter,  noting  with  a  practiced  eye  the  slender 
figure  of  the  young  officer,  "  you  come  to  the  — th  highly  recommended  for 
coolness  and  courage.  To-morrow  we  attack  El  Caney  ;  I  have  been  ordered 
to  call  for  volunteers  to  do  a  little  scouting ;  will  you  lead  the  party?" 

"Thank  you,"  said  Burden,  simply  ;  "it  will  be  an  honor,  I — " 

The  colonel  removed  his  eyeglasses.  "  Young  man,"  said  he,  seriously> 
"  the  bush  is  full  of  Spaniards ;  you  may  be  killed  or  seriously  wounded  ; 
every  caution  will  be  required. 

"  I  will  do  my  best,  sir,"  replied  Captain  Burden  ;  "  is  the  start  to  be 
made  at  once  ?  " 

The  colonel  wheeled  about  on  his  camp  stool.  "Orderly,"  said  he 
sharply,  "  tell  Captain  Clark  that  I  wish  a  volunteer  party  of  some  good 
men  from  his  company  to  undertake  a  dangerous  errand  near  the  enemy's 
line.  They  are  to  report  to  me  at  once." 

"  Your  duty  will  be,"  he  continued,  turning  to  Captain  Burden,  "  to 
reconnoitre  as  near  as  possible  to  the  enemy's  lines.     You  will  skirt  the  base 
of  El  Caney,  making  a  detour  to  the  north.     It  is  unnec- 
essary to  say  the  volunteers  will  be  under  orders  from  you       A  Dangerous 
and  are  to  be  governed  by  your  judgment."  Reconnoissance. 

Five   minutes  later  the  tramp  of   approaching  men 

was  heard  and  two  cavalrymen  entered  the  commander's  presence.  Captain 
Burden,  noting  them  critically,  started ;  the  sharp  tones  of  the  colonel  rang 
in  his  ears : 

"  Corporal  Joyce  and  Private  Hardey,  you  are  under  orders  to  proceed 
according  to  Captain  Burden's  direction  on  a  reconnoissanqe  into  the 
enemy's  lines.  That  will  do." 

Burden  returned  the  men's  salute  mechanically.  The  presence  of  John 
Hardey  filled  him  with  conflicting  emotions.  He  had  fled  from  Washington 


76  JUST  BEFORE  THE  BATTLE  OF   EL  CANEY. 

hoping  to  drown  in  the  excitement  of  an  aggressive  campaign  the  sorrow 
which  this  man  had  brought  upon  him.  Had  it  not  been  feu  Hardey — he 
clenched  his  hands  until  the  nails  bit  into  the  flesh.  "  What  now  ?  "  an  evil 
spirit  whispered,  "  he  is  in  your  power,  you  may  order  him  whither  you 
will,  even  to  death  by  Spanish  bullets ;  none  will  know  of  it,  for  the  Cuban 
bush  tells  no  tales." 

The  colonel  wondered  at  the  paleness  upon  the  face  of  the  young  officer 
as  he  passed  from  the  tent  into  the  darkness  beyond.     Could  he  be  afraid  ?^ 
He  dismissed  the  thought  with  a  laugh.     Captain  Burden  had  come  to  the 
— th  with  the  highest  recommendations  from  the  Secretary  of  War. 

Out  beyond  the  shelter  of  the  camp,  Burden  led  his  men  straight  into 
the  thick,  prickly  brush.  At  times  he  could  almost  feel  Hardey 's  breath 
upon  his  face  and  hear  the  voice  whispering  in  his  ear :  "  To  the  left,  to 
the  left !  he  will  reach  the  Spaniards  sooner  there." 

Fat  up  the  height  a  dozen  tiny  lights  glimmered  in  the  darkness — the 
Spanish  torches  about  the  blockhouse  of  El  Caney.  To  the  left  the  faint 
ring  of  steel  told  the  three  Americans  that  the  enemy's  sentinels  were  wide 
awake,  ready  to  fire  blindly  into  the  darkness.  Captain  Burden  paused. 

"  Private  Hardey,"  said  he,  so  huskily  he  scarcely  recognized  his  own 
voice,  "move  cautiously  to  the  left,  keeping  well  in  the  shadow  of  the 
brush ;  the  corporal  and  I  will  detour  to  the  right  approaching  the  slope 
further  on." 

Hardey's  hand  came  to  a  quick  salute.     "Very  good,  sir,"  replied  he, 
steadily,  though  he  must  have  known  he  ran  against  the  very  muzzles  of 
Spanish  rifles.     Then$  wheeling  about,  he  disappeared  in 
Running  Upon     the  tangled  thicket. 

the  Muzzles  of  Captain  Burden  paused  irresolutely,  white  to  the  very 

Pointed  Rifles.     HpS.    " Come  !  "  said  he,  sharply,  "  to  the'right.  corporal." 

A  myriad  of  insects  buzzed   about  their  faces,   the 

pests  of  the  Cuban  chaparral.  The  corporal  cursed  and  brushed  them  off, 
but  his  companion  scarce  noticed  them  ;  his  ears  were  strained  to  catch  the 
shots  from  the  slope  of  El  Caney,  the  fusillade  which  would  send  him  back 
to  Washington. 

A  minute  passed — five — ten  ;  it  seemed  as  many  hours.  The  heat  and 
blackness  of  the  brush  stifled  the  Americans,  the  sharp  thorns  tore  their 
clothes  and  lacerated  their  bodies.  Corporal  Joyce  swore  and  cursed  the 
fate  which  had  sent  him  to  Cuba.  Captain  Burden  moved  forward  as  one 
bereft  of  feeling.  He  had  become  a  machine,  a  thing  devoid  of  sense  and 
feeling,  a  human  sounding-board  waiting  to  catch  a  rifle  crack  from  El 
Caney. 


JUST  BEFORE  THE  BATTLE  OF  EL  CANEY.        77 

Suddenly  the  buzz  of  insects,  the  crunching  of  the  dry  leaves  and  twigs 
under  the  feet  of  the  moving  men,  the  noise  made  by  the  passage  of  their 
bodies  through  the  bush,  were  drowned  by  the  echoing  report  of  a  Mauser 
rifle ;  then  another,  a  third  and  fourth  and  fifth.  Corporal  Joyce  uncon- 
sciously clutched  his  officer's  arm.  "  God  !"  he  whispered,  "  they've  riddled 
him,  an'  a  braver  fellow  never  wore  a  sabre." 

Captain  Burden  staggered  as  though  the  bullets  from  the  Mausers  had 
pierced  his  body.  A  cry  sounded  in  the  stillness  following  the  echo  of  the 
shots ;  an  appeal  for  help,  and  the  voice  was  Hardey's. 

For  an  instant  Burden  wavered  ;  then,  before  the  corporal  could  restrain 
him,  dashed  through  the  matted  chaparral  to  the  slope  of  El  Caney,  upon 
whose  summit  danced  a  hundred  Spanish  torches  awakened  into  life  by  the 
fire  of  the  sentinels. 

With  Joyce  panting  at  his  heels,  he  pushed  forward,  drawing  his  revolver 
as  he  ran  and  shouting  aloud  to  Hardey  to  answer  him,  that  he  might  gain 
the  private's  side  in  the  darkness. 

Breaking  through  the  bush,  he  came  upon  an  open  space  unsheltered 
from  the  Spanish  guns  above,  to  stumble  over  Hardey,  who,  resting  on  one 
elbow,  was  keeping  off  five  wlirt2-clothed  figures  with  his  revolver. 

Perhaps  the  Spaniards  feared  an  attack  from  the  entire  American  army. 
At  sight  of  Burden  and  the  corporal  they  wavered,  forgetting  the  Mausers 
in  their  hands,  that  they  were  five  to  three,  with  one  of  the  latter  sorely 
crippled. 

"  Corporal !"  said  Burden,  sharply,  noting  with  quick  perception   the 
confusion   of  the   Spaniards,  "to   the  rear  with    Private 
Hardey  ;  I  will  cover  you  "  Saving  the  Life  of 

A  flash  of  admiration  filled  the  corporal's  eyes.     "  God,         Hls  Rival. 
sir !"  he  muttered  ;  they'll  shoot  you  like  a  dog ;  I — " 

"To  the  rear,  sir!"  shouted  Captain  Burden  ;  "he's  light  and — " 

Then,  as  the  bulky  corporal  lifted  the  wounded  cavalryman,  slinging 
him  across  his  shoulder  like  a  bag  of  meal,  Burden  faced  the  astonished 
Spaniards.  "  No,"  cried  Hardey,  struggling  in  the  arms  which  would  bear 
him  into  safety  ;  "  stop,  for  God's  sake,  corporal !"  Then,  in  an  appeal  of 
agony  :  "  Save  yourself,  Burden  ;  she  will  not  marry  me,  it's  you — " 

The  sharp  crack  of  the  captain's  revolver  cut  short  the  sentence. 
u  Run  !"  he  shouted  ;  "  I'll  hold  them  off." 

Four  times  the  revolver  cracked  ere  the  Spaniards,  realizing  'twas  but 
one  man  who  confronted  them,  raised  their  rifles. 

Corporal  Joyce,  tearing  through  the  chaparrel,  heard  the  whiplike  crack 
of  th«  dreaded  Mausers ;  then  once  more  the  sharp  report  of  the  captain's 


78  THE  HEROIC   CHARGE  ON  SAN  JUAN. 

revolver.  Afterward  came  silence,  save  for  the  groaning  of  Private  Hardey 
and  the  rustle  of  the  parting  branches. 

On  the  morning  of  July  3,  after  the  charge  upon  El  Caney,  an  orderly 
halted  before  the  quarters  of  the  righting  — th. 

"A  letter  for  Captain  Burden,"  replied  he  to  the  sentry's  query, 
"  franked  at  the  War  Department,  an'  from  a  lady.  I  reckon  he  won't  want 
to  wait  for  it."  The  colonel  pushed  aside  his  tent  flap.  "  Surgeon,"  said 
he,  turning  to  the  officer  who  followed  him,  "tell  that  fellow  Captain 
Burden's  dead — killed  in  an  ambuscade.  And,  surgeon,  you'd  better  take 
the  letter  and  forward  it  to  Washington." 


THE  HEROIC  CHARGE  ON  SAN  JUAN. 

BY 


ON  the  afternoon  of  June  30,  pursuant  to  orders  given  me  verbally  by 
the  corps  commander  at  his  headquarters,  I  moved  my  Second  and 
Third  Brigades  (Parson  and  Wikoff )  forward  about  two  miles  to  a 
point  on  the   Santiago  road  near  corps   headquarters.     Here  the 
troops  bivouacked,  the  First  Brigade  (Hawkins)  remaining  in  its  camp  of 
the  two  preceding  days,  slightly  in  rear  of  corps  headquarters. 

On  the  following  morning  (July  i)  at  seven  o'clock  I  rode  forward  to  the 
hill  where  Captain  Grimes'  battery  was  in  position.  I  here  met  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  McClernand,  assistant  adjutant-general,  Fifth  Corps,  who  pointed 
out  to  me  a  green  hill  in  the  distance,  which  was  to  be  my  objective  on  my 
left,  and  either  he  or  Lieutenant  Miley,  of  Major-General  Shafter's  staff, 
gave  me  directions  to  keep  my  tight  on  the  main  road  leading  to  the  city 
of  Santiago.  I  had  previously  given  the  necessary  orders  for  Hawkins' 
brigade  to  move  early,  to  be  followed  in  turn  by  WikofF  and  Parson.  Shortly 
after  Grimes'  battery  opened  fire  I  rode  down  to  the  stream  and  there  found 
General  Hawkins  at  the  head  of  his  brigade  at  a  point  about  250  yards  from 
the  El  Paso  sugar  house.  Here  I  gave  him  his  orders. 

The  enemy's  artillery  was   now  replying  to  Grimes'  battery.     I  rode 

forward  with    Hawkins  about   150   yards,   closely  followed  by  the   Sixth 

Infantry,  which  was  leading  the  First  Brigade.     At  this 

Waiting  on        point  I  received  instructions  to  allow  the  cavalry  the  right 

the  Cavalry. 

of  way,  but  for  some  unknown  reason  they  moved  up  very 
-slowly,  thus  causing  a  delay,  in  my  advance,  of  fully  forty  minutes. 


THE   HEROIC   CHARGE  ON  SAN  JUAN.  79 

Lieutenant  Miley,  of.  General  Shafter's  staff,  was  at  this  point  and 
understood  how  the  division  was  delayed,  and  repeated  several  times  that  he 
understood  I  was  making  all  the  progress  possible.  General  Hawkins  went 
forward,  and  word  came  back  in  a  few  minutes  that  it  would  be  possible  to 
observe  the  enemy's  position  from  the  front.  I  immediately  rode  forward 
with  my  staff.  The  fire  of  the  enemy's  sharpshooters  was  very  distinctly 
felt  at  this  time.  I  crossed  the  main  ford  of  the  San  Juan  River,  joined 
General  Hawkins,  and  with  him  observed  the  enemy's  position  from  a  point 
some  distance  in  advance  of  the  ford.  General  Hawkins  deemed  it  possible 
to  turn  the  enemy's  right  at  Fort  San  Juan,  but  later,  under  the  heavy  fire, 
this  was  found  impracticable  for  the  First  Brigade,  but  was  accomplished  by 
the  Third  Brigade  coming  up  later  on  General  Hawkins'  left. 

Having  completed  the  observation  with  my  staff,  I  proceeded  to  join 
the  head  of  my  division  just  coming  under  heavy  fire.  Approaching  the 
First  Brigade  I  directed  them  to  move  alongside  the  cavalry  (which  was 
halted).  We  were  already  suffering  losses  caused  by  the  balloon,  near-by, 
attiacting  the  enemy's  fire  and  disclosing  our  position.  The  Spanish  infantry 
fire,  steadily  increasing  in  intensity,  now  came  from  all  directions,  not  only 
from  the  front,  and  the  dense  tropical  thickets  on  our  flanks,  but  from  sharp- 
shooters thickly  posted  in  trees  in  our  rear,  and  from  shrapnel  apparently 
aimed  at  the  balloon.  Lieutentant  Colonel  Derby,  of  Shafter's  staff,  met  me 
about  this  time  and  informed  me  that  a  trail  or  narrow  way  had  been 
discovered  from  the  balloon  a  short  distance  back  leading  to  the  left  of  a 
ford  lower  down  the  stream.  I  hastened  to  the  forks  made  by  this  road  and 
soon  after  the  Seventy-first  New  York  Regiment,  of  Hawkins'  brigade,  came 
up.  I  turned  them  into  the  by-path  indicated  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Derby, 
which  led  to  the  lower  ford,  sending  word  to  General  Hawkins  of  this  move- 
ment. This  would  have  speedily  delivered  them  in  their  proper  place  on  the 
left  of  their  brigade,  but  under  the  galling  fire  of  the  enemy,  the  leading 
battalion  of  this  regiment  was  thrown  into  confusion  and 
recoiled  in  disorder  on  the  troops  in  rear.  At  this  critical 
moment  the  officers  of  my  staff  practically  formed  a  cordon 
behind  the  panic-stricken  men  and  urged  them  to  again  go  forward.  I 
finally  ordered  them  to  lie  down  in  the  thicket  and  clear  the  way  for  others 
of  their  own  regiment,  who  were  coming  up  behind.  This  many  of  them 
did,  and  the  second  and  third  battalions  came  forward  in  better  order  and 
moved  along  the  road  toward  the  ford. 

One  of  my  staff  officers  ran  back,  waving  his  hat  to  hurry  forward  the 
Third  Brigade,  which  upon  approaching  the  forks  found  the  wray  blocked  by 
men  of  the  Seventy-first  New  York.  There  were  other  men  of  this  regiment 


80  THE   HEROIC   CHARGE  ON  SAN  JUAN. 

crouching  in  the  bushes,  many  of  whom  were  encouraged  by  the  advance  of 
the  approaching  column  to  arise  and  go  forward.  As  already  stated,  I  had 
received  orders  some  time  before  to  keep  in  rear  of  the  cavalry  division. 
Their  advance  was  much  delayed,  resulting  in  frequent  halts,  presumably  to 
drop  their  blanket  rolls  and  due  to  the  natural  delay  in  fording  a  stream. 
These  delays  under  such  a  hot  fire  grew  exceedingly  irksome,  and  I  therefore 
pushed  the  head  of  my  division  as  quickly  as  I  could  toward  the  river  in 
column,  or  files  of  twos,  paralleled  in  the  narrow  way  by  the  cavalry.  This 
quickened  the  forward  movement  and  enabled  me  to  get  into  position  as 
speedily  as  possible  for  the  attack. 

Owing  to  the  congested  condition  of  the  road,  the  progress  of  the  narrow 
column  was  painfully  slow.    To  quicken  the  advance  I  sent  a  staff  officer  at  a  . 
gallop  to  urge  forward  the  troops  in  the  rear.     The  head  of 

siowProgresmon    wikoffs   brigade  reached  the  forks   at   12.20  p.  in.,  and 
m  Narrow  Path. 

hurried  on  the  left,  stepping  over  prostrate  forms  of  men 

of  the  Seventy-first.  This  heroic  brigade  (consisting  of  the  Thirteenth, 
Ninth  and  Twenty-fourth  United  States  Infantry)  speedily  crossed  the  stream 
and  were  quickly  deployed  to  the  left  of  the  lower  ford. 

While  personally  superintending  this  movement,  Colonel  Wikoff  was 
killed,  the  command  of  the  brigade  then  devolving  upon  L,ieu tenant-Colonel 
Worth,  Thirteenth  Infantry,  who  immediately  fell  severely  wounded,  and 
then  upon  Lieutenant-Colonel  L,iscum,  Twenty-fourth  Infantry,  who  five 
minutes  later  also  fell  under  the  withering  fire  of  the  enemy.  The  command 
of  the  brigade  then  devolved  upon  L,ieutenant-Colonel  E.  P.  Ewers,  Ninth 
Cavalry. 

Meanwhile,  I  had  again  sent  a  staff  officer  to  hurry  forward  the  Second 
Brigade,  which  was  bringing  up  the  rear.  The  Tenth  and  Second  Infantry, 
soon  arriving  at  the  forks,  were  deflected  to  the  left  to  follow  the  Third 
Brigade,  while  the  Twenty-first  was  directed  along  the  main  road  to  support 
Hawkins.  Crossing  the  lower  fork  a  few  minutes  later,  the  Tenth  and  Second 
moved  forward  in  column  in  good  order  toward  the  green  knoll  already 
referred  to  as  my  objective  on  the  left.  Approaching  the  knoll  the  regiments 
deployed,  passed  over  the  knoll  and  ascended  the  high  ridge  beyond,  driving 
back  the  enemy  in  the  direction  of  his  trenches.  I  observed  this  movement 
from  the  fort  on  San  Juan  Hill. 

Colonel  E.  P.  Pearson,  Tenth  Infantry,  commanding  the  Second  Brigade, 
and  the  officers  and  troops  under  his  command  deserve  great  credit  for  the 
soldierly  manner  in  which  this  movement  was  executed. 

Prior  to  this  advance  of  the  Second  Brigade,  the  Third,  connecting  with 
Hawkins'  gallant  troops  on  the  right,  had  moved  toward  Fort  San  Juan, 


THE   HEROIC   CHARGE  ON  SAN  JUAN.  81 

sweeping  through  a  zone  of  most  destructive  fire,  scaling  a  steep  and  difficult 
hill  and  assisting  in  capturing  the  enemy's  strong  position,  Fort  San  Juan, 
at  1.30  p.  m.  This  crest  was  about  125  feet  above  the  general  level  and  was 
defended  by  deep  trenches  and  a  loop-holed  brick  fort,  surrounded  by  barbed 
wire  entanglements. 

General  Hawkins,  some  time  after  I  reached  the  crest,  reported  that  the 
Sixth  and  Sixteenth  Infantry  had  captured  the  hill,  which  I  now  consider 
incorrect,  and  credit  is  almost  equally  due  the  Sixth,  Ninth,  Thirteenth, 
Sixteenth  and  Twenty-fourth  Regiments  of  infantry.  Owing  to  General 
Hawkins'  representations  I  forwarded  the  report  sent  to  corps  headquarters 
about  3  p.  in.  that  the  Sixth  and  Sixteenth  Infantry  regiments  had  captured 
the  hill. 

The  Thirteenth  Infantry  captured  the  enemy's  colors  waving  over  the 
fort,  but  unfortunately  destroyed  them,  distributing  the  fragments  among 
the  men,  because,  as  was  asserted,  "  it  was  a  bad  omen," 
two  or  three  men  having  been  shot  while  assisting  Private      *    ne"1yp? 
Arthur  Agnew,   Company   K,    Thirteenth    Infantry,    the 
captor.     All  fragments  which  could  be  recovered  were  sent  to  Washington 
for  preservation. 

The  greatest  credit  is  due  to  the  officers  of  my  command,  whether 
company,  battalion,  regiment  or  brigade  commanders,  who  so  admirably 
directed  the  formation  of  their  troops,  unavoidably  intermixed  in  the  dense 
thicket,  and  made  the  desperate  rush  for  the  distant  and  strongly  defended 
crest. 

I  have  already  mentioned  the  circumstances  of  my  Third  Brigade's 
advance  across  the  ford,  where  in  the  brief  space  of  ten  minutes  it  lost  its 
brave  commander  (killed)  and  the  next  two  ranking  officers  by  disabling 
wounds.  Yet,  in  spite  of  these  confusing  conditions,  the  formations  were 
effected  without  hesitation,  although  under  a  stinging  fire,  companies  acting 
singly  in  some  circumstances  and  by  battalion  and  regiments  in  others, 
rushing  through  the  jungle,  across  the  stream  waist  deep,  and  over  the  wide 
bottom  thickly  set  with  barbed  wire  obstructions. 

In  this  connection  I  desire  to  particularly  mention  First  Lieutenant 
Wendell  L.  Simpson,  adjutant,  Ninth  Infantry,  acting  assistant  adjutant 
general,  Third  Brigade,  who  was  noticeably  active  and  efficient  in  carrying 
out  orders  which  I  had  given  him  to  his  brigade  commander,  who  had  been 
killed. 

The  enemy  having  retired  to  a  second  line  of  rifle  pits,  I  directed  my 
line  to  hold  their  positions  and  intrenchments.    At  ten  minutes  past  3  p.  in., 
I  received,  almost  simultaneously,  two  requests,  one  from  Colonel  Wood, 
6 


82  HOW  HAM.    FISH   MET  HIS   DEATH. 

commanding  a  cavalry  brigade,  and  one  from  General  Simmer,  asking  for 
assistance  for  the  cavalry  on  my  right,  as  they  were  being  hard  pressed.  I  im- 
mediately sent  to  their  aid  the  Thirteenth  Infantry,  who  promptly  went  on 
this  further  mission,  despite  the  heavy  losses  they  had  already  sustained. 

Great  credit  is  due  to  the  gallant  officer  and  gentleman,  Brigadier- 
General  H.  S.  Hawkins,  who,  placing  himself  between  the  two  regiments, 
leading  his  brigade,  the  Sixth  and  Sixteenth  Infantry,  urged  and  led  them 
by  voice  and  bugle  call  to  the  attack  so  successfully  accomplished. 


HOW  HAM.  FISH  MET  HIS  DEATH. 

BY  THE  "WORLD"  CORRESPONDENT. 

\ 

THIS  is  the  narrative  of  Edward  Culver,  Rough  Rider,  wounded  at 
La  Quasima,  Santiago,  by  the  same  bullet  that  killed  Hamilton 
Fish.     When  I  met  him  first  in  New  York  Harbor  on  the  hospital 
ship  "  Olivette,"  just  after  his  return  from  Cuba,  he  didn't  look 
much  like  a  soldier.     He  had  no  hat.     He  had  one  when  he  went  to  Cuba, 
but  he  had  thrown  it  away  on  the  march  from  Altares  to  Siboney.     He  had 
no  boots.     The  surgeons  had  cut    them    off  on  the    battlefield  as  he   lay 
wounded  beside  "  Ham."  Fish.     His  only  clothing  was  a  blue  flannel  shirt 
and  a  pair  of  duck  trousers,  which  had  been  brown,  but  they  were  faded 
now,  and  from  the  knees  down  they  were  darker  than  they  had  ever  been. 

"  My  blood  made  them  that  way,"  he  said  in  explanation. 
.         There  were  no  buttons  on  the  blue  shirt.     It  hung  open  ;  a  bandaged 
wound  was  visible  just  above  his  heart.    A  bullet  had  entered  there.     It  was 
the  bullet  that  had  killed  "  Ham."  Fish  on  its  way  to  Culver's  breast. 

He  is  only  a  boy,  this  trooper  from  the  West — twenty-two  years  of  age. 
He  lives  at  Muskogee,  Indian  Territory,  and  he  grew  up  out  there  on  the 
cattle  ranges  of  his  native  place.  When  Theodore  Roosevelt  organized  his 
Rough  Riders  he  enlisted  in  Troop  L,.  Shortly  afterward  he  became  the  firm 
friend  of  "  Ham."  Fish.  Here  in  his  own  words  is  the  story  of  that  friend- 
ship, of  Fish's  life  in  the  field  and  of  his  death  in  battle : 


HOW   HAM.    FISH   MET  HIS   DEATH.  83 

The  first  time  I  saw  Sergeant  Fish  was  at  San  Antone,  Tex.  That  was 
on  the  nineteenth  day  of  May.  Yon  see,  we  all  of  us  had  heerd  of  him  before 

and  we  just  .all  nat'rally  wanted  him  in  our  troop.     Yes, 

,.  .  c       ,  .  A      ,    ,  ,  The  Rough  Rider's 

sir,  we  was   all    anxious  for  him.     And   he  just  took  a          n      st 

mighty  likin'  to  our  troop,  too.     He  seemed  to  want  to  be 

with  our  boys.     You  see,  Cap'n  Capron  he  was  a  military  man,  and  Fish 

just  said  he  wanted  a  military  man  to  lead  him. 

So  at  Tampa  he  was  transferred  to  our  troop.  That  was  the  night 
before  we  got  on  the  transport  for  Cuba.  And  that  same  night  he  was 
made  sergeant  of  our  squad.  He  was  a  great  friend  of  all  of  our  squad, 
and  we  all  allowed  he  was  all  right.  You  see,  we  all  in  our  squad  grew  up 
together  from  boys  around  Muskogee,  Indian  Territory,  and  on  the  cattle 
ranges  we  just  nat'rally  judge  a  man  by  his  looks.  So  we  just  all  of  us 
allowed  the  sergeant  of  the  third  squad  was  all  right,  and  he  was  mighty 
proud  of  his  squad.  The  night  he  was  made  our  sergeant  he  shook  each  one 
of  us  by  the  hand  and  he  says,  "  Boys,  we  eleven  must  always  stand 
together,  no  matter  what  comes."  And  we  all  of  us  allowed  we  would. 

When  we  was  goin'  to  Cuba  he  found  out  where  I  was  from,  and  he  just 
got  to  be  a  particular  friend  of  mine.  He  always  allowed  he  wanted  to  go 
to  Indian  Territory,  so  he  says,  "  I'll  go  after  we  come  home  again,  and  we 
all  will  have  some  good  fun  on  the  ranges." 

We  were  on  the  "Yucatan"  and  we  landed  at  Altares  on  the  twenty- 
second  of  June  about  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  Our  squad  landed  in  a 
skiff.  The  surf  was  runnin'  pretty  high  too.  You  see,  he  had  charge  of  the 
rations,  so  he  just  says  to  me,  "  You  watch  the  rations  and  don't  let  'em  get 
wet  and  I'll  row."  So  he  takes  in  oar  from  one  of  the  men  and  rowed  in 
through  the  surf.  Then  when  we  landed  we  all  put  up  our  tents  and  that 
night  we  all  had  a  good  time  around  the  camp-fire.  We  was  all  glad  to  get 
to  Cuba,  and  it  sorter  seemed  nat'ral  to  be  on  land  again.  We  all  went  to 
bed  early  that  night  and  we  slept  well.  The  next  day  was  the  twenty-third. 
That  was  the  day  before  our  squad  went  into  the  fight.  That  was  the  day 
before  Sergeant  Fish  was  killed.  We  all  in  our  squad  were  lonesome  that 
day,  'specially  at  night  around  the  camp-fire.  I  always  made  his  coffee  and 
fried  his  meat  in  with  mine.  Each  man  had  to  fry  his  own  meat,  but,  you 
see,  my  pan  was  big  and  it  held  enough  for  two  of  us.  He  give  me  charge 
of  the  rations  a  few  days  after  he  became  our  sergeant, 
and  as  I  liked  him  I  was  bound  to  cook  his  rations.  We  Forebodin  s 
didn't  go  to  bed  till  tol'ably  late  that  night.  It  rained  hard. 
The  boys  they  all  wrapped  up  in  their  ponchos  and  lay  down.  But.  let  alone 
the  rain,  the  snakes  and  lizards  and  land  crabs  wouldn't  let  them  sleep. 


84  HOW   HAM.    FISH   MET   HIS   DEATH. 

The  land  crabs  just  nat'rally  eat  them  up.  I  says  to  the  sergeant,  "  It  won't 
do  to  let  the  rations  get  spoiled."  So  we  covered  them  up  with  our  ponchos 
and  stood  under  a  tree.  But  a  tree  don't  help  any  in  that  kind  of  rain,  and 
we  just  got  soaked  right  smart.  When  the  rain  was  just  washin'  us  like  a 
waterfall,  Sergeant  Fish  he  turns  around  to  me  and  he  allowed,  "  Old  boy, 
this  is  soldierin'  " — kind  of  intirnatin',  you  know,  it  was  rough. 

Then  after  the  rain  stopped  we  built  up  a  big  fire  to  dry  by.  Presently 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Roosevelt  and  Cap'n  Capron  came  along,  and  they  was 
complimentin'  us  about  the  march  and  talkin'  about  the  Spaniards.  They 
was  fine  men,  them  two,  Colonel  Roosevelt  and  Cap'n  Capron,  and  the 
boys  all  liked  them. 

"  Then  after  they  left,  Sergeant  Fish,  he  turned  to  me  and  he  says, 
4  Old  boy,  is  your  father  and  mother  living  ? '  And  I  allowed  they  was,  out 
in  Indian  Territory,  and  a  sister  and  two  brothers,  leastwise  if  the  brothers 
hadn't  enlisted  since  I  left.  And  he  says,  '  Old  boy,  I  suppose  the  people  at 
home  are  thinkin'  about  us  now.' 

"  That  night  Fred  Beal  stood  guard.  We  had  first  call  at  half  past 
three,  reveille  at  four,  and  mess  call  at  a  quarter  after  four.  At  twenty 
minutes  to  five  we  got  our  orders  to  march.  At  breakfast 
I  says  to  Sergeant  Fish,  '  I  believe  I'll  fry  some  of  this 
hardtack.'  You  see,  we  got  powerful  tired  of  our  rations, 
so  I  just  fried  the  hardtack  that  morning  and  it  was  a  change.  Some  of 
the  boys  in  the  squad  asked  for  more  tomatoes.  So  Sergeant  he  turned  to 
me  and  he  says,  'How  many  tomatoes  have  we?'  And  I  allowed  we  had 
sev'ral  cans.  '  Well,'  he  says,  '  we'll  cut  some  more  open.  We're  liable  to 
all  be  killed  to-day  and  we  may  as  well  have  enough  to  eat.' 

"  Sergeant  Fish  said  that  morning  sev'ral  times  he  was  goin'  to  get 
killed  that  day.  He  was  carryin'  an  extra  pair  of  shoes  along.  He  allowed 
they  cost  him  $7.  He  threw  them  away  just  after  breakfast. 

"  '  Sergeant,'  I  says,  *  they  may  come  in  handy.' 

"  '  No,  he  says,  *  I  don't  think  I'll  need  them  any  more' — kind  of  sad 
like.  He  also  give  away  his  loose  clothes  that  morning. 

"  Before  the  march  Cap'n  Capron  ordered  me  in  the  advance  guard. 
You  see,  six  of  us  and  Cap'n  Capron  went  ahead  of  the  Rough  Riders  200 
yards  as  scouts.  Tom  Isbell,  another  Cherokee  Indian,  of  our  regiment,  was 
ahead.  Cap'n  Capron  came  next  right  in  the  middle  of  the  road.  I  came 
next  on  the  left  flank  in  the  bushes.  Bud  Purnell  was  on  the  right  flank. 
Then  came  Wyly  Skelton.  Tom  Meagher  and  Sergeant  Burns  (formerly  a 
New  York  policeman),  each  about  thirty  feet  apart.  We  was  inarching 
along  a  common  country  road.  There  was  thick  bush  on  each  side,  and  we 


HOW  HAM.    FISH   MET   HIS  DEATH.  85 

was  lookin'  for  Spaniards  all  the  time  and   had  our  guns  ready.     When  we 
had  marched  three  miles  we  knew  the  Spaniards  was  near. 

"  Presently  we  came  to  a  dead  Spaniard  on  the  road.     He  was  just 
lyin'  there  covered  with  dust.    Just  then  Tom  Isbell  he  see  a  Spaniard  and 
he  picked  him.    Then  they  opened  fire  from  all  around  us 
and  from  each  side  of  us.     Ton!  Isbell  he  was  hit  seven          A  °ead 
times  before  he  fell.     He  was  tough.     Cap'n  Capron  he     * 
was  shot  and  fell  soon  as  the  firm'  opened. 

"Soon  as  the  shindig  began  I  dropped  down  on  the  road  plumb 
across  it  and  began  firin'.  Presently  Sergeant  Fish  he  rushed  up.  He 
says,  'Old  boy,  you've  got  a  good  place  here.'  I  says,  'I  have  got  a 
good  place.* 

"  You  see,  my  head  was  by  the  edge  of  the  road  and  my  body  plumb 
across  it  The  bank  was  about  four  inches  high,  so  I  just  naturally  felt  it 
wasn't  such  a  good  place.  So  Sergeant  Fish  he  just  drops  down  on  the  left 
beside  me  and  began  shootin'.  He  was  about  a  foot  from  me.  We  was  lyin' 
plumb  across  the  middle  of  the  road.  The  sun  was  just  bilin'  down  on  us. 
The  Spaniards  was  pepperin'  us  from  each  side. 

"  The  Sergeant  he  just  fired  two  shots  when  he  gasped  and  says  to  me, 

*  Old  boy,  I'm  wounded ;  I'm  badly  wounded.' 

"I  says,  'I'm  killed.' 

"  He  says,  '  The  same  bullet  hit  both  of  us.'  B°th  HltDbf,thc 

Same  Bullet. 

"Then  he  lifted  himself  kind  of   hard  like  on  his 

left  elbow  and  says,  '  Give  me  your  canteen,  old  boy.' 

"  I  give  it  to  him.     Then  I  guess  I  fainted.     When  I  come  to  he  says, 

*  You're  all  right,  old  boy.'     He  was  srnilin'.     "  Then  he  kind  of  drew  up 
his  shoulders. 

"  I  says  to  him,  *  Sergeant,  are  you  hit  hard  ? '  But  he  didn't  say  noth- 
in.'  He  kind  of  smiled.  Then  I  took  his  hat  off  and  see  he  was  dead. 

"  Meagher  came  along  then,  and  he  says  to  me,  *  Is  he  dead  ? '  and  I  says, 
'  Yes.'  Then  Kline  came  up  to  us,  and  Meagher  says  to  him,  '  We'll  stay 
with  him  till  he's  dead ' — meanin'  me.  Kline  give  me  a  drink  of  water. 

"  Lieutenant  Thomas  he  passed,  too,  when  Sergeant  was  wounded,  and 
Sergeant  he  says  to  him,  'I'm  wounded.'  But  Lieutenant  Thomas  he  had 
to  go  to  the  front  to  take  Cap'n  Capron's  place.  Cap'n  Capron  he  was  lyin' 
wounded  on  the  road  just  a  few  yards  from  us. 

"  I  lay  there  as  much  as  an  hour  beside  Sergeant  Fish  after  he  was 
dead.  The  bullet  had  entered  his  left  side,  came  out  at  the  right  and  hit 
me  in  the  left  breast  just  above  the  heart.  It  was  just  as  Sergeant  said. 
The  same  bullet  hit  us  both.  You  see  we  hear  its  ping,  and  when  it  went 


86  INTERESTING    FACTS   ABOUT  THE  FILIPINOS. 

through  Sergeant,  it  just  had  to  hit  inc.  We  was  right  together  thar — right 
on  the  same  line  when  we  was  hit. 

"  Then  Meagher  he  lifted  me  in  the  shade,  and  presently  Dr.  Church 
dressed  my  wound. 

"It's  tough,  aint  it,  that  a  pard  like  Sergeant  Fish,  a  man  you  could 
tie  to,  one  who  would  stand  by  his  friends  through  hardships  and  dangers, 
a  fellow  every  ojie  loved,  and  who  was  my  best  mate,  should  be  shot  to  death 
by  my  side  !  I  saw  him  die.  His  splendid  nerve  never  deserted  him,  for  his 
'last  breath  was  that  of  a  brave  soldier.  The  world  has  been  pretty  lonesome 
to  me  since  he  said  good  bye  and  passed  in  his  checks,  and  I  guess  I'll  never 
get  over  the  feeling  of  a  lump  in  my  throat  every  time  I  think  of  him. 
But  its  war.' 


INTERESTING  FACTS  ABOUT  THE  PHILIPPINE 

PEOPLE. 

BY  CAPTAIN  P.  C.  MARCH, 

(Late  Commander  of  the  Astor  Battery,  at  Mamla.) 

4  GUINALDO  is  a  little  fellow  even  for  Manila.  He  is  hardly  five  feet 
/  V  tall,  and  his  features  are  Japanese  rather  than  Filipino.  His  fore- 
-*-  -*-  head  is  retreating,  his  coarse  black  hair  is  brushed  up  from  it, 
pompadour  style.  He  has  no  magnetism,  his  manner  is  not  im- 
pressive ;  he  is  in  appearance  anything  but  a  leader  of  men. 

He  owes  his  influence  to  two  facts  :  The  more  ignorant  among  his  fol- 
lowers firmly  believe  that  he  is  invulnerable,  that  a  bullet  fired  at  him  would 
be  deflected.  Some  of  the  educated  leaders  are  faithful  to  him  for  another 
reason.  He  has  sold  out  to  the  Spaniards  a  number  of  times,  and  has  had 
the  tact  to  divide  his  winnings  with  other  leaders.  They  find  it  pays  to  side 
with  him. 

The  uneducated  natives  are  superstitious,  but  they  would  learn  quickly. 
A  good  many  have  been  educated  by  the  church  schools,  and  they  prove 
bright  and  intelligent.  There  are  a  few  Negritos  even  about  Manila,  but 
not  many  in  proportion  to  the  total  number  in  the  islands.  They  are  little 
black  men,  not  so  fine  a  type  as  either  the  Tagali  or  Viscayans.  And  down 


INTERESTING  FACTS   ABOUT  THE   FILIPINOS.  87 

upon  Minanao,  which  has  never  been  conquered  in  all  the  three  hundred 
years  of  Spain's  nominal  rule  in  the  archipelago,  are  still  another  type — the 
unsubdued  Moros,  who  blacken  their  teeth  and  wear  false  horns  upon  their 
heads. 

There  are  many  opportunities  in  the  Philippines  for  capitalists  and  pro- 
fessional men.     The  Spaniards  are  naturally  more  numerous  in  the  islands 
than  other  Europeans,  but  they  amount  to  little  commer- 
cially.    Most  of  them  are  or  have   been  officials.     The     Chances  for  Busi- 

-i-v  /-A  -f  ,-1  Arti  ness  in  Our  New 

English  and  Germans  do  most  of  the  trade.     There  are  islands. 

also  many  wealthy  Chinese  and  well-to-do  half-breeds — 
mestizos.  The  hemp  plantations  are  nearly  all  owned  and  administered 
by  Englishmen.  The  natives  have  no  taste  for  settled  industry.  They  will 
work  and  earn  ten  cents,  and  live  in  idleness  a  week  or  so  until  the  money 
is  spent.  The  Tagali  are  a  docile,  agreeable  race,  quick,  easily  taught  and 
easily  managed.  Of  course,  however,  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  national 
types.  For  instance,  my  cook  was  a  Viscayan  from  Iloilo.  The  features 
of  these  people  differ  from  those  of  the  Tagali.  They  are  more  nearly  of  the 
negro  type,  and  fine,  muscular  fellows  physically.  All  the  natives  are 
strong,  wiry  men,  though  small.  They  can  carry  bamboo  poles  around  on 
their  shoulders  that  would  make  one  of  our  big  fellows  stagger.  They 
are  deft  and  skillful,  too ;  they  do  all  the  fine  work  in  Manila,  making 
jewelry  and  compounding  prescriptions,  for  instance,  as  well  as  the  heavier 
tasks. 

The  average  American  soldier  in  Manila  is  above  five  feet  seven  inches 
in  height,  and  the  little  natives,  who  will  hardly  average  five  feet  two 
inches,  were  amazed  at  the  big  fellows. 

Manila  is  not  like  any  towi  in  the  United  States  with  which  it  might 
be  compared.     It  is  larger  than  Buffalo,  Cincinnati  or  San  Francisco  by  the 
last  census,  and  more  than  twice  as  large  as  Rochester. 
Its   300,000  people  straggle  over  some  five  or  six  miles     Manila  |tsc|f  J« 

a  Big  City  of 

along   the  water  front.       The  European  houses   are    not  Huts. 

gathered  in  one  quarter,  as  is  usual  in  Asiatic  cities,  but 
are  scattered  about  among  the  native  huts.  These  huts  on  the  outskirts  of 
Manila  itself  are  precisely  like  huts  away  in  the  interior  of  the  islands. 
There  isn't  a  nail  in  one  of  them.  The  walls  are  bamboo  poles  tied  together, 
the  roof  a  thatch  of  leaves  ;  the  furniture  is  of  the  simplest  sort.  The  houses 
occupied  by  Europeans  are  larger  and  better  furnished,  but  are  almost  never 
of  masonry  because  of  the  danger  from  earthquake.  They  are  lightly  con- 
structed of  wood,  without  cellars.  You  drive  your  carriage  in  upon  the 
ground  floor,  and  mount  by  inner  stairs  to  the  living  rooms  on  the  first  floor. 


88  INTERESTING   FACTS   ABOUT  .THE   FILIPINOS. 

When  the  American  soldiers  first  arrived  in  Manila  the  city  was  abso- 
lutely without  sanitation,  and  the  habits  of  the  people  were  frank  and 
unsophisticated.  Arrests  had  to  be  made  for  unconventionalities  not  com- 
mon upon  American  streets ;  but  the  natives  were  generally  docile  and 
indisposed  to  trouble. 

In  one  respect  Manila  is  fortunate.  It  has  an  abundant  supply  of  pure 
water,  and  the  hydrants  are  surrounded  all  day  long  by  people  washing 
themselves.  To  see  a  stark-naked  pickaninny  shuddering  under  the  cool 
flood  while  his  mother  plks  the  pump,  gives  one  a  good  idea  of  tropical 
cleanliness.  The  native  women  are  everywhere,  their  wooden  sandals  clat- 
tering on  the  pavement,  bareheaded,  a  shawl  thrown  over  one  shoulder.  Tlie 
pump  is  a  good  beginning  of  cleanliness.  We  are  supplying  the  rest. 
Major  Bourns,  who  has  studied  the  botany  and  geology  of  the  islands,  was 
placed  in  charge  of  the  work.  The  city  is  districted,  and  a  doctor  and  nurse 
assigned  to  each  district,  to  hunt  out  contagious  diseases.  The  garbage  and 
street-litter  are  collected — they  never  were  before — loaded  on  cascoes  and 
dumped  out  at  sea.  These  cascoes  are  square-built,  shovel-nosed  sailboats, 
somewhat  like  a  lugger,  decked  over  at  stem  and  stern.  The  open  waist  is 
covered  with  sections  oT  matting,  shaped  like  the  hood  of  a  charcoal  wagon, 
which  slide  over  each  other.  The  family  live  in  the  stern, 
The  Native  Boats,  and  usuany  a  dozen  or  so  children  tumble  about  the  deck. 

Canoes,  "Cas- 

coes."  -^ne  other  common  type  of  native  boat  is  a  dug-out  canoe, 

sometimes  quite  large,  balanced  by  an  outrigger  on  each 

side.     These  boats,  little  and  big,  are  almost  the  sole  conveyances  used  by 

the  people,  as  there  are  no  roads,  and  the  interior  of  the  larger  islands  is 

presumably  sparsely  peopled.      I  think  the  number  of  the  population  is 

generally  much  over-estimated.    No  census  was  ever  taken  by  the  Spaniards, 

'   and  the  natives  naturally  speak  of  their  tribes  in  round  numbers.     A  correct 

census  will  be  one  of  our  first  duties  in  the  islands. 

When  we  reached  Manila  it  was  very  hot  and  wet.  When  we  came 
away  in  December  it  was  delightful,  and  there  was  a  band  concert  every 
afternoon  on  the  prada,  where  less  than  a  year  ago  the  most  exciting  diver- 
sion was  a  public  execution,  witnessed  by  gayly  dressed  ladies  in  carriages 
taking  snap-shots  with  kodaks  of  the  poor  wretches  standing  blindfolded 
against  a  blank  wall. 

The  natives  are  called  cruel,  but  what  they  do,  and  what  they  know, 
they  have  learned  from  Spain.  They  have  had  no  means  of  raising  money 
for  their  alleged  republic  save  by  levying  tithes  on  industry.  If  a  mill- 
owner  was  assessed  $15,  and  said  he  had  but  $7,  they  would  string  him  up 
by  the  thumbs.  We  would  sometimes  hear  some  such  poor  devil  screaming 


THE   HISTORIC  ENGAGEMENT   IN   MANILA  BAY.  89 

in  a  barn,  and  go  out  and  rescue  him.  But  that  is  the  way  things  are  done 
in  the  East.  These  men  are  practicing  what  they  have  learned  ;  they  are 
willing  to  learn  new  lessons  and  are  easy  to  teach. 

I  have  never  seen  a  drunken  Filipino.  They  are  a  very  quick  and 
intelligent  race,  and  capable  of  rapid  improvement,  and  being  tractable  and 
amenable  to  good  influences,  they  may  soon  be  made  a  really  desirable 
acquisition  to  the  American  brotherhood,  which  has  already  absorbed  and 
assimilated  many  nationalities. 


THE  NOW  FOREVER  HISTORIC  ENGAGEMENT  DM 

MANILA  BAY. 

BY  REAR-ADMIRAI, 


(Commander-in- Chief  of  the  Squadron}. 

THE  squadron  left  Mirs  Bay  on  April  27,  arrived  off  Bolinao  on  the 
morning  of  April  30,  and,  finding  no  vessels  there,  proceeded  down 
the  coast  and  arrived  off  the  entrance  to  Manila  Bay  on  the  same 
afternoon.     The  "  Boston  "  and  the  "  Concord  "  were  sent  to  recon- 
noitre Port  Subig.    A  thorough  search  was  made  of  the  port  by  the  u  Boston  " 
and  the  "  Concord,"  but  the  Spanish  fleet  was  not  found.     Entered  the  south 
channel  at  11.30  p.  m.,  steaming  in  columns  at  eight  knots.     After  half  the 
squadron  had  passed,  a  battery  on  the  south  side  of  the  channel  opened  fire, 
none  of  the  shots  taking  effect.     The  "  Boston  "  and  "  McCulloch  "  returned 
the  fire.     The  squadron  proceeded  across  the  bay  at  slow  speed  and  arrived 
off  Manila  at  daybreak,  and  was  fired  upon  at  5.15  a.  m.  by  three  batteries 
at  Manila  and  two  near  Cavite,  and  by  the  Spanish  fleet  anchored  in  an 


90  THE  HISTORIC  ENGAGEMENT   IN   MANILA   BAY. 

approximately  east  and  west- line  across  the  mouth  of  Bakor  Bay,  with  their 
left  in  shoal  water  in  Canacao  Bay. 

The  squadron  then  proceeded  to  the  attack,  the  flagship  "  Olympia," 
under  my  personal  direction,  leading,  followed  at  a  distance  by  the  "  Balti- 
more," "  Raleigh,"  "  Petrel,"  "  Concord  "  and  "  Boston  "  in  the  order  named, 
which   formation  was   maintained  throughout   the  action.     The  squadron 
opened  fire  at  5.41  a.  m.    While  advancing  to  the  attack  two 
Expiosi<  i  of  Two    mmes  were  exploded  ahead  of  the  flagship,  but  too  far  to 

nfl  i  n  c  s  • 

be  effective.  The  squadron  maintained  a  continuous  and 
precise  fire  at  ranges  varying  from  5,000  to  2,000  yards,  counter-marching  in 
a  line  approximately  parallel  to  that  of  the  Spanish  fleet.  The  enemy's  fire 
was  vigorous,  but  generally  harmless.  Early  in  the  engagement  two 
launches  put  out  toward  the  "  Olympia "  with  the  apparent  intention  of 
using  torpedoes.  One  was  sunk  and  the  other  disabled  by  our  fire  and 
beached  before  they  were  able  to  discharge  their  torpedoes. 

At  7  a.  m.  the  Spanish  flagship,  "  Reina  Cristina,"  made  a  desperate 
attempt  to  leave  the  line  and  come  out  to  engage  at  short  range,  but  was 
received  with  such  a  galling  fire,  the  entire  battery  of  the  "  Olympia  "  being 
concentrated  upon  her,  that  she  was  barely  able  to  return  to  the  shelter  of  the 
point.  The  fires  started  in  her  by  our  shell  at  the  time  were  not  extinguished 
until  she  sank.  The  three  batteries  at  Manila  had  kept  up  a  continuous 
fire  from  the  beginning  of  the  engagement,  which  was  not  however  returned 
by  my  squadron.  The  first  of  these  batteries  was  situated  on  the  south 
mole  head  at  the  entrance  of  the  Pasig  River,  the  second  on  the  south 
position  of  the  walled  city  of  Manila,  and  the  third  at  Malate,  about  one- 
half  mile  further  south.  At  this  point  I  sent  a  message  to  the  governor- 
general  to  the  effect  that  if  the  batteries  did  not  cease  firing  the  city  would 
be  shelled.  This  had  the  effect  of  silencing  them. 

At  7.35  a.  m.  I  ordered  the  firing  to  cease  and  withdrew  the  squadron 

for  breakfast     At  11.16  I  returned  to  the  attack.     By  this  time  the  Spanish 

flagship  and  almost  all  the  Spanish  fleet  were  in  flames. 

Creat  Destruction  ^t  ^     squadron  ceased  firing,  the  batteries  being 

by  Dewey  s  Guns. 

silenced  and  the  Spanish  ships  sunk,  burned  and  deserted. 
At  12.40  the  squadron  returned  and  anchored  off  Manila,  the  "  Petrel  " 
being  left  to  complete  the  destruction  of  the  smaller  gunboats,  which  were 
behind  the  point  of  Cavite.  This  duty  was  performed  by  Commander 
E.  P.  Wood  in  the  most  expeditious  and  complete  manner  possible.  The 
Spanish  lost  the  following  vessels :  Sunk,  "  Reina  Cristina,"  "  Castilla," 
"  Don  Antonio  de  Ulloa  ";  burned,  "  Don  Juan  of  Austria,"  "  Isla  de  Luzon," 
"Isla  de  Cuba,"  "General  Lezo,"  "Marquis  del  Duero,"  "El  Correo," 


THE   HISTORIC   ENGAGEMENT   IN   MANILA   BAY.  91 

"  Velasco,"  and  "  Isla  de  Mindanao  "  (transport)  ;  captured,  "  Rapido  "  and 
"  Hercules  "  (tugs),  and  several  small  launches. 

The  losses  of  the  enemy  were  very  heavy.  The  "  Reina  Cristina  "  alone 
had  150  killed,  including  the  captain,  and  ninety  wounded.  I  am  happy  to 
report  that  the  damage  done  to  the  squadron  under  my  command  was  incon- 
siderable. There  were  none  killed  and  only  seven  men  in  the  squadron 
were  slightly  wounded.  Several  of  the  vessels  were  struck  and  even  pene- 
trated, but  the  damage  was  of  the  slightest  and  the  squadron  was  in  as  good 
condition  after  as  before  the  battle. 

I  doubt  if  any  commander-in-chief  was  ever  served  by  more  loyal, 
efficient  and  gallant  captains  than  those  of  the  squadron  now  under  my 
command.  Captain  Frank  Wildes,  commanding  the  "  Boston,"  volunteered 
to  remain  in  command  of  his  vessel,  although  his  relief  arrived  before  leav- 
ing Hong  Kong.  Assistant  Surgeon  Kindelberger,  of  the  "  Olympia,"  and 
Gunner  J.  C.  Evans,  of  the  "  Boston,"  also  volunteered  to  remain  after  orders 
detaching  them  had  arrived.  The  conduct  of  my  personal  staff  was  excellent. 
Commander  B.  P.  Lamberton,  chief  of  staff,  was  a  volunteer  for  that  position, 
and  gave  me  most  efficient  aid.  Lieutenant  Brumby,  flag  lieutenant,  and 
Ensign  E.  P.  Scott,  aide,  performed  their  duties  as  signal  officers  in  a  highly 
creditable  manner.  Caldwell,  flag  secretary,  volunteered  for  and  was 
assigned  to  a  sub-division  of  the  5-inch  battery.  Mr.  J.  L.  Stickney,  formerly 
an  officer  in  the  United  States  Navy,  and  now  correspondent  for  the  New 
York  Herald,  volunteered  for  duty  as  my  aide,  and  rendered  valuable  service. 
I  desire  especially  to  mention  the  coolness  of  Lieutenant  C.  G.  Calkins,  the 
navigator  of  the  "  Olympia,"  who  came  under  my  personal  observation,  being 
on  the  bridge  with  me  throughout  the  entire  action,  and  giving  the  ranges 
to  the  guns  with  an  accuracy  that  was  proved  by  the  excellence  of  the 
marksmanship. 

On  May  2,  the  day  following  the  engagement,  the  squadron  again  went 
to  Cavite,  where  it  remained  for  several  days.  On  the  third  the  military 
forces  evacuated  the  Cavite  arsenal,  which  was  taken  possession  of  by  a 
landing  party.  On  the  same  day  the  "  Raleigh  "  and  "  Baltimore  "  secured 
the  surrender  of  the  batteries  on  Corregidor  Island,  paroling  the  garrison 
and  destroying  the  guns.  On  the  morning  of  May  4  the  transport  "  Manila," 
which  has  been  aground  in  Bakor  Bay,  was  towed  off  and  made  a  prize. 


92  THE  STORY  OF  MANILA'S  FALL. 


THE  STORY  OF  MANILA'S  FALL. 

BY 


UPON  my  arrival  at  Manila,  July  29  (1898),  I  found  General  Greene's 
command  encamped  on  a  strip  of  sandy  land,  running  parallel  to 
the  shore  of  the  bay,  and  not  far  distant  from  the  beach,         owing 
to  the  great  difficulties  of  landing  supplies,  the  greater  portion  of 
the  force  had  shelter-tents  only  and  were  suffering  many  discomforts,  the 
camp  being  situated  in  a  low,  flat  place,  without  shelter  from  the  heat  of  the 
tropical  sun  or  adequate  protection  during  the  terrific  downpours  of  rain  so 
frequent  at  this  season. 

The  Filipinos,  or  insurgent  forces  at  war  with  Spain  had,  prior  to  the 
arrival  of  the  American  land  forces,  been  waging  a  desultory  warfare  with 
the  Spaniards  for  several  months,  and  were  at  the  time  of  my  arrival  in  con- 
siderable force,  variously  estimated  and  never  accurately  ascertained,  but 
probably  not  far  from  12,000  men.  These  troops,  well  supplied  with  small 
arms,  with  plenty  of  ammunition  and  several  field  guns,  had  obtained  posi- 
tions of  investment  opposite  to  the  Spanish  line  of  detached  works  through- 
out their  entire  extent. 

As  General   Aguinaldo  did  not  visit  me  on  my  arrival 
No  Favors         nor  Qg-er  ^jg  servjces  as  a  subordinate  military  leader,  and 

from  Aguinaldo's  .  .  •••••»_•* 

Achievements.      as  my  instructions   from  the   President  fully  contemplated 

the  occupation  of  the  islands  by  the  American  land  forces, 
and  stated  that  the  powers  of  the  military  occupant  are  absolute  and  supreme, 
and  immediately  operative  upon  the  political  condition  of  the  inhabitants, 
I  did  not  consider  it  wise  to  hold  any  direct  communication  with  the 
insurgent  leader  until  I  should  be  in  possession  of  the  city  of  Manila,  espe- 
cially as  I  would  not  until  then  be  in  a  position  to  issue  a  proclamation  and 
enforce  my  authority,  in  the  event  that  his  pretensions  should  clash  with  my 
designs. 

For  these  reasons  the  preparations  for  the  attack  on  the  city  were 
pressed^and  military  operations  conducted  without  reference  to  the  situation 


THE  STORY  OF   MANILA'S   FAU,.  93 

of  the  insurgent  forces.  The  wisdom  of  this  course  was  subsequently  fully 
established  by  the  fact  that  when  the  troops  of  my  command  carried  the 
Spanish  entrenchments,  extending  from  the  sea  to  the  Pasig  Road  on  the 
extreme  Spanish  right,  we  were  under  no  obligations,  by  prearranged  plans 
of  mutual  attack,  to  turn  to  the  right  and  clear  the  front  still  held  against 
the  insurgents,  but  were  able  to  move  forward  at  once  and  occupy  the  city 
and  suburbs. 

.To  return  to  the  situation  of  General  Greene's  brigade  as  I  found  it  on 
my  arrival,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  difficulty  in  gaining  an  avenue  of  ap- 
proach to  the  Spanish  line  lay  in  the  fact  of  my  disinclination  to  ask  Gen- 
eral Aguinaldo  to  withdraw  from  the  beach  and  the  "Calle  Real,"  so  that 
Greene  could  move  forward.  This  was  overcome  by  instructions  to  General 
Greene  to  arrange,  if  possible,  with  the  insurgent  brigade  commander  in  his 
immediate  vicinity  to  move  to  the  right  and  allow  the  American  forces 
unobstructed  control  of  the  roads  in  the  immediate  front.  No  objection  was 
made,  and  accordingly  General  Greene's  brigade  threw  forward  a  heavy  out- 
post line  on  the  "  Calle  Real  "  and  the  beach,  and  constructed  a  trench,  in 
which  a  portion  of  the  guns  of  the  "  Utah  "  batteries  was  placed. 

The  Spanish,  observing  this  activity  on  our  part,  made  a  very  sharp 
attack  with  infantry  and  artillery  on  the  night  of  July  31.     The  behavior 
of  our  troops  during  this  night  attack  was  all  that  could 
be  desired,  and  I  have  in  cablegrams  to  the  War  Depart-      lttac)t  °n  the 

Tenth   Penn- 

ment,  taken  occasion  to  commend   Dy  name  those  who          sylvania. 
deserve  special  mention  for  good  conduct  in  the  affair. 

Our  position  was  extended  and  strengthened  after  this,  and  resisted 
successfully  repeated  night  attacks,  our  forces  suffering,  however,  considera- 
ble loss  in  wounded  and  killed,  while  the  losses  of  the  enemy,  owing  to  the 
darkness,  could  not  be  ascertained. 

The  strain  of  the  night  fighting,  and  the  heavy  details  for  outpost  duty, 
made  it  imperative  to  reinforce  General  Greene's  troops,  with  General  Mac- 
Arthur's  brigade,  which  had  arrived  in  transports  July  31. 
The  difficulties  of  this  operation  can  hardly  be  over-esti-          Troo 
mated.       The  transports  were  at  anchor  off  Cavite,  five 
miles  from  a  point  on  the  beach,  where  it  was  desired  to  disembark  the  men. 
Several  squalls,  accompanied  by  floods  of  rain,  raged  day  after  day,  and  the 
only  way  to  get  the  troops  and  supplies  ashore  was  to  load  from  the  ship's 
side  into  native  lighters  (called  "  cascoes  ")  or  small  steamboats,  move  them 
to  a  point  opposite  the  camp  and  then  disembark  them  through  the  surf  in 
small  boats,  or  by  running  the  lighters'  heads  on  the  beach.     The  lauding 
was  finally  accomplished  after  days  of  hard  work  and  hardship  ;  and  I  desire 


94  THE  STORY   OF   MANILA'S 

here  to  express  again  my  admiration  for  the  fortitude  and  cheerful  willing- 
ness of  the  men  of  all  commands  engaged  in  this  operation. 

Upon   the   assembly   of    Mac  Arthur's    brigade  in  support  of   General 

Greene's,  I  had  about  8,500  men  in  position  to  attack,  and  I  deemed  the  time 

had  come  for  final  action.     During  the  time  of  the  night 

Ready  t<     a  e     attacks  I  had  communicated  my  desire  to  Admiral  Dewey 
the  City. 

that  he  would  allow  his  ships  to  open  fire  on  the  right  of 

the  Spanish  line  of  entrenchments,  believing  that  such  action  would 
stop  the  night  firing  and  loss  of  life,  but  the  admiral  had  declined  to  order 
it  unless  we  were  in  danger  of  losing  our  position  by  the  assaults  of  the 
Spanish,  for  the  reason  that,  in  his  opinion,  it  would  precipitate  a  general 
engagement,  for  which  he  was  not  ready. 

However,  the  brigade  of  General  MacArthur  was  in  position,  and  the 
"  Monterey "  had  arrived,  and  under  date  of  August  6,  Admiral  Dewey 
agreed  to  my  suggestion  that  we  should  send  a  joint  letter  to  the  captain- 
general  (Augustin)  notifying  him  that  he  should  remove  from  the  city  all  non- 
combatants  within  forty-eight  hours,  and  that  operations  against  the  defences 
at  Manila  might  begin  at  any  time  after  the  expiration  of  that  period. 

This  letter  was  sent  August  7,  and  a  reply  was  received  the  same  date, 

to  the  effect  that  the  Spanish  were  without  places  of  refuge  for  the  increased 

numbers  of  wounded,  sick,  women  and  children  r*ow  lodged 

ma  "I"  °      within  the  walls.     On  the  ninth,  a  formal  joint  demand  for 

Augustin. 

the  surrender  of  the  city  was  sent  in.  This  demand  was 
based  on  the  hopelessness  of  the  struggle  on  the  part  of  the  Spaniards  and 
that  every  consideration  of  humanity  demanded  that  the  city  should  not  be 
subjected  to  bombardment  under  such  circumstances. 

The  captain-general's  reply,  of  same  date,  stated  that  the  counsel  of 
defense  had  declared  that  the  demand  could  not  be  granted,  but  the  captain- 
general  offered  to  consult  his  government  if  we  would  allow  him  the  time 
strictly  necessary  for  the  communications  by  way  of  Hong  Kong.  This  was 
declined  on  our  part  for  the  reason  that  it  could,  in  the  opinion  of  the 
admiral  and  myself,  lead  only  to  a  continuance  of  the  situation,  with  no 
immediate  result  favorable  to  us,  and  the  necessity  was  apparent  and  very 
urgent  that  decisive  action  should  be  taken  at  once  to  compel  the  enemy  to 
give  up  the  town,  in  order  to  relieve  troops  from  the  trenches  and  from  the 
exposure  of  unhealthy  conditions,  which  was  unavoidable  in  a  bivouac  during 
the  rainy  season. 

The  seacoast  batteries  in  defense  of  Manila  are  so  situated  that  it  is 
impossible  for  ships  to  engage  them  without  firing  into  the  town,  and  as  the 
bombardment  of  a  city  filled  with  wonieu  and  children,  sick  and  wounded, 


THE  STORY  OF  MANILA'S  FALL.  95 

and  containing  a  large  amount  of  neutral  property,  could  only  be  justified 
as  a  last  resort,  it  was  agreed  between  Admiral  Dewey  and  myself,  that  an 
attempt  should  be  made  to  carry  the  extreme  right  of  the  Spanish  line  of 
entrenchments  in  front  of  the  positions  at  that  time  occupied  by  our  troops, 
which,  with  its  flank  on  the  seashore,  was  entirely  open  to  the  fire  of  the 
navy. 

It  was  not  my  intention  to  press  the  assault  at  this  point,  in  case  the 
enemy  should  hold  it  in  strong  force,  until  after  the  navy  had  made  practi- 
cable breaches  in  the  works  and  shaken  the  troops  holding 

them,  which  could  not  be  done  by  the  army  alone,  owing        *rcy  ' 

Combatants. 

to  the  absence  of  siege  guns.     It  was  believed,  however, 
as  most  desirable,  and  in  accordance  with  the  principles  of  civilized  warfare, 
that  the  attempt  should  be  made  to  drive  the  enemy  out  of  his  entrench- 
ments before  resorting  to  the  bombardment  of  the  city. 

By  orders  issued  some  time  previously  MacArthur's  and  Greene's  bri- 
gades were  organized  as  the  Second  Division  of  the  Eighth  Corps,  Brigadier- 
General  Thomas  Anderson  commanding,  and  in  anticipation  of  the  attack 
General  Anderson  moved  his  headquarters  from  Cavite  to  the  brigade  camps 
and  assumed  direct  command  in  the  field.  Copies  of  the  written  and  verbal 
instructions,  referred  to  above,  were  given  to  the  division  and  brigade  com- 
manders on  the  twelfth,  and  all  the  troops  were  in  position  on  the  thirteenth 
at  an  early  hour  in  the  morning. 

About  9  a.  m.  on  that  day  our  fleet  steamed  forward  from  Cavite  and 
before  10  a.  m.  opened  a  hot  and  accurate  fire  of  heavy  shells  and  rapid  fire 
projectiles  on  the  sea  flank  of  the  Spanish  entrenchments 
at  the  powder  magazine  fort,  and  at  the  same  time  the  *    y 

Utah  Batteries,  in  position  in  our  trenches  near  the  ' '  Calle 
Real,"  began  firing  with  great  accuracy. 

At  10.25  on  a  prearranged  signal  from  our  trenches  that  it  was  believed 
our  troops  could  advance,  the  navy  ceased  firing  and  immediately  a  light 
line  of  skirmishers  from  the  Colorado  regiment  of  Greene's  brigade  passed 
over  our  trenches  and  deployed  rapidly  forward,  another  line  from  the  same 
regiment  from  the  left  flank  of  our  earthworks  advancing  swiftly  up  the 
beach  in  open  order. 

Both  these  lines  found  the  powder  magazine,  fort  and  the  trenches 
flanking  it  deserted,  but  as  they  passed  over  the  Spanish  works  they  were 
met  by  a  sharp  fire  from  a  second  line  situated  in  the  streets  of  Malate,  by 
which  a  number  of  men  were  killed  and  wounded,  among  others  the  soldiers 
who  pulled  down  the  Spanish  colors  still  flying  on  the  fort  and  raised  our 
own. 


96  THE  STORY   OF   MANILA'S   FALL. 

The  works  of  the  second  line  soon  gave  way  to  the  determined  advance 
of  Greene's  troops,  and  that  officer  pushed  his  brigade  rapidly  through  Malate 
and  over  the  bridges  to  occupy  Binondo  and  San  Miguel,  as  contemplated  in 
his  instructions. 

In  the  meantime,  the  brigade  of  General  MacArthur  advancing  simul- 
taneously on  the  Passay  Road,  encountered  a  very  sharp  fire,  coming  from 
the  blockhouses,  trenches  and  woods  in  his  front,  positions  which  it  was, 
very  difficult  to  carry,  owing  to  the  swampy  condition  of  the  ground  on  both 
sides  of  the  roads  and  the  heavy  undergrowth  which  concealed  the  enemy. 
With  much  gallantry  and  excellent  judgment  on  the  part  of  the  brigade  com- 
mander and  the  troops  engaged,  these  difficulties  were  overcome  with  a 
minimum  loss,  and  MacArthur  advanced  and  held  the  bridges  and  the  town 
of  Malate. 

The  city  of  Manila  was  now  in  our  possession,  excepting  the  walled 

town,  but  shortly  after  the  entry  of  our  troops  into  Malate  a  white  flag 

was  displayed  on  the  walls,  whereupon  Lieutenant-Colonel 

Manila  c  ^  whittier,  United  States  Volunteers,  of  my  staff,  and 

Capitulates. 

Lieutenant  Brumby,  United  States  Navy,  representing 
Admiral  Dewey,  were  sent  ashore  to  communicate  with  the  captain-general. 

I  soon  personally  followed  these  officers  into  the  town,  going  at  once  to 
the  palace  of  the  governor-general,  and  there,  after  a  conversation  with  the 
Spanish  authorities,  a  preliminary  agreement  of  the  terms  of  capitulation 
was  signed  by  the  captain-general  and  myself.  This  agreement  was  subse- 
quently incorporated  into  the  formal  terms  of  capitulation,  as  arranged  by 
the  officers  representing  the  two  forces. 

Immediately  after  the  surrender  the  Spanish  colors  on  the  sea  front 
were  hauled  down  and  the  American  flag  displayed,  and  saluted  by  the  guns 
of  the  navy.  The  Second  Oregon  Regiment,  which  had  proceeded  by  sea 
from  Cavite,  was  disembarked  and  entered  the  walled  town  as  a  provost 
guard,  and  the  colonel  was  directed  to  receive  the  Spanish  arms  and  deposit 
them  in  places  of  security.  The  town  was  filled  with  the  troops  of  the 
enemy  driven  in  from  the  intrench ments,  regiments  formed  and  standing  in 
line  in  the  streets,  but  the  work  of  disarming  proceeded  quietly  and  nothing 
unpleasant  occurred  in  the  proceedings  of  surrender  to  our  forces  of  the 
Spanish  army  of  defence,  and  our  complete  occupation  of  Manila. 


OUR  BATTLES  WITH  THE)  FILIPINOS.  97 

OUR  BATTLES  WITH  THE  FILIPINOS. 


Aguinaldo  Leads   a  Host  of  His  Followers  Against  the  American 

Army  Occupying  Manila. 

BY  J.  W.  BUEL. 

THE  intervention  of  a  superior  power  to  aid  a  struggling  people  to 
free  themselves  from  the  oppressions  and  abuses  practiced  by  their 
subjugators  is  invariably  attended  by  ingratitude,  which  usually 
manifests  itself  in  hostile  demonstrations  against  their  liberators. 
This  sudden  change  to  enmity  of  a  freed  people  has  its  origin  in  the  soulless 
ambition  of  thankless  leaders,  who,  conceiving  a  purpose  to  become  absolute 
as  rulers,  promote  the  military  spirit  of  their  followers,  which  they  then 
employ  for  their  own  selfish  ends,  and  often  to  the  ruin  of  their  purblind 
followers  as  well  as  themselves.  This  is  especially  true  of  the  semi-civilized, 
among  whom  insurgent  leaders  who  once  taste  the  fruit  of  victory,  however 
small  and  transitory,  may  never  thereafter  be  depended  upon  to  yield  loyal 
allegiance  to  any  power  above  them.  The  United  States  Government  is  in 
an  attitude  to  feel  the  effects  of  this  base  ingratitude,  and  that  our  humane 
intervention  in  Cuba  and  in  the  Philippines  will  bring  upon  us  the  hostility 
of  those  liberated  peoples  there  can  be  no  doubt,  and  may  involve  us  in  a 
long  and  costly  war,  wherein  we  shall  occupy  the  position  from  which  ouj 
armies  have  recently  driven  Spain.  Indeed,  the  first  blow  has  already  been 
struck  by  the  Filipinos,  who,  mindless  of  the  service  which  the  United 
States  rendered  in  freeing  them  from  the  exactions  and  cruelty  of  their 
Spanish  taskmasters,  are  now  anxious  to  expel  their  civilized  liberators,  to 
disclaim  all  obligations,  and  to  assert  their  independence. 

The  signing  of  the  Peace  Treaty  at  Paris,  December  10,  which  termi- 
nated our  war  with  Spain,  was  almost  immediately  followed  by  acts  of 
arrogance  and  supercilious  conduct  on  the  part  of  Agui- 

naldo,  who  assuming  the  powers  of  a  sovereign — though        Agumaldo's 

.  Assumptions  of 

without  recognition — proceeded  to  levy  taxes,  issue  pro-         Authority. 
clamations,  impose  restrictions  upon  American  troops,  and 
conducted  himself  in  a  manner  that  was  calculated  to  irritate  our  officers 
and  to  incense  our  soldiers  to  the  limit  of  patience.     Refusal  by  the  President 
and  Secretary  of  State  to  recognize  Aguinaldo's  representative,  Agoncillo, 
who  visited  Washington  and  memorialized  Congress  in  a  vain  effort  to  secure 
acknowledgment  of  Philippine  independence,  so  angered  Aguiualdo  that  he 
7 


9«  OUR  BATTLES  WITH  THE  FILIPINOS. 

made  preparations  to  resume  the  war  against  American  troops  in  the  Philip 
pines  as  invaders.  He  was  able  to  secure  from  traders,  who  were  more 
mercenary  than  patriotic,  10,000  Mauser  and  Remington  rifles,  3,000,000 
rounds  of  ammunition,  two  2o-pounder  Krupp  guns  and  several  pieces  of  field 
artillery.  He  thereupon  began  active  operations  by  intrenching  his  20,000 
troops  Li  the  vicinity  cff  Manila,  and  in  making  preparations  for  conducting 
hostilities.  The  administration  entertained  the  hope  that  forbearance  and 
kind  treatment  might  influence  Aguinaldo  to  accept  the  kind  offices  and 
sincere  good  will  of  America,  which,  however,  instead  of  being  appreciated, 
served  no  other  purpose  than  to  provide  opportunity  desired  by  the  insurgents 
to  strengthen  their  position  and  to  complete  their  preparations  for  war. 

It  unfortunately  happened  that  the  administration's  pacific  utterances 
and  great  forbearance  was  regarded  by  the  Filipinos  as  an  evidence  of  hesita- 
tion and  weakness.  In  practicing  toleration  to  avoid  actual  conflict  with  the 
natives,  and  to  save  bloodshed,  a  certain  official  recognition  was  given  the 
Filipinos.  A  striking  illustration  of  this  fact  occurred  on  December  21, 
when  the  two  forces  were  very  near  an  engagement  Up  to  that  date  the 
sentries  of  the  American  and  insurgent  forces  had  guarded  opposite  ends 
of  the  Paco  bridge,  a  stone  structure  across  a  ten-foot  creek  on  the  out- 
skirts of  the  city,  but  in  accordance  with  instructions  the  American  officer 
of  the  day  essayed  to  post  his  sentry  in  the  centre  of  the  bridge.  The 
Filipino  guard  objected,  however,  and  when  a  protest  was  made  informed 
the  Americans  that  at  nine  o'clock  the  next  morning  they  would  fire 
upon  the  American  line  unless  the  sentry  was  withdrawn.  At  the  appointed 
hour  Major-General  Anderson  and  some  4,000  men  were  on  hand,  but  after  a 
conference  the  Filipinos  were  recognized  to  the  extent  that  the  sentry  was 
withdrawn  to  his  former  position,  and  the  American  troops  marched  back  to 
their  quarters. 

The  issuance  of  General  Otis'  proclamation  regarding  the  intentions  of 
the  Americans  in  the  Philippines  gave  Aguinaldo  the  opportunity  desired, 
and  in  less  than  twelve  hours  after  the  former  was  published  the  Filipino's 
response  was  posted  on  the  walls  of  the  city.  Its  effect  was  instantaneous 
upon  the  natives  generally  and  their  attitude  was  such  that  it  was  deemed 
advisable  to  keep  the  entire  army  of  occupation  in  quarters  and  under  arms, 
in  order  that  they  might  be  ready  should  an  emergency  arise. 

Two  trivial  incidents  which  occurred  simultaneously  in  different  parts  of 
the  city  occasioned  a  false  alarm  at  2.30  o'clock,  January  6,  1899,  and  the 
entire  troops  were  called  "  to  arms."  Within  fifteen  minutes  after  the  echoes 
of  the  bugles  had  died  away  the  whole  force  was  under  way,  every  company 
of  every  regiment  being  in  its  allotted  position  ready  for  action.  While  this 


OUR  BATTLES  WITH  THE  FILIPINOS.  99 

created  somewhat  of  a  sensation  temporarily,  the  promptitude  with  which 
the  troops  responded  to  the  call  had  the  effect  of  restoring  confidence. 

In  response  to  the  conciliatory  proclamation  of  Major-General  Otis, 
issued  January  4,  Aguinaldo  issued  an  official  manifesto  in  which  he  says : 

"General    Otis   calls    himself    in    the   proclamation 
referred  to,  '  Military  Governor  of  the  Philippine  Islands'       Aguinaldo's 

Manifesto. 

and  I  protest  once  and  a  thousand  times  and  with  all  the 
energy  of  my  soul,  against  such  authority.  I  solemnly  proclaim  that  I  have 
never  had,  neither  in  Singapore  nor  in  Hong  Kong,  nor  here,  in  the  Philip- 
pines, any  undertaking  or  agreement  either  by  word  or  by  writing,  to  recog- 
nize the  sovereignity  of  America  in  this,  our  loved  country.  On  the 
contrary,  I  say  that  I  returned  to  these  islands  on  board  an  American  warship 
on  the  sixth  of  May  of  last  year,  with  the  decided  and  manifest  proposition 
to  carry  on  the  war  with  the  Spaniards,  to  reconquer  our  liberty  and  our 
independence. 

"  In  the  proclamation  of  General  Otis,  he  alludes  to  instructions  written 
for  him  by  His  Excellency,  the  President  of  the  United  States,  referring  to 
the  administration  of  affairs  in  the  Philippines  Islands.  I  solemnly  protest 
in  the  name  of  God,  the  root  and  foundation  of  all  justice  and  of  all  right, 
and  who  has  given  to  me  power  to  direct  my  dear  brothers  in  the  difficult 
work  of  our  generation,  against  this  intrusion  of  the  Government  of  the 
United  States  in  the  sovereignty  of  these  islands.  Equally,  I  protest  in  the 
name  of  all  the  Philippine  people  against  this  intrusion,  because  when  they 
gave  me  their  vote  of  confidence,  electing  me,  though  unworthy,  as  president 
of  the  nation,  when  they  did  this  they  imposed  on  me  the  duty  to  sustain 
to  the  death  their  liberty  and  independence." 

It  was  against  such  sentiment  that  the  American  authorities  had  to 
contend,  which  appeal  for  the  right  of  self-government  had  a  powerful 
influence  in  the  United  States  Congress,  and  among  a  large 

proportion  of  the  American  people,  which  manifested  itself    A  Plan  to  Defeat 

.r        .  '     .  Ratification  of 

in  an  opposition  to  a  ratification  of  the  Pans  treaty  strong        the  Treaty. 

enough  to  postpone  the  vote  until  February  6.  Aguinaldo 
persuaded  himself  to  believe  that  a  hostile  demonstration  by  his  troops 
immediately  before  the  time  set  for  senatorial  action  would  cause  a  rejection 
of  the  treaty  on  the  final  vote.  This  vain  belief  he  put  into  effect  on  the 
night  of  Saturday,  February  4,  by  making  an  attack  on  the  American  lines 
guarding  Manila,  entertaining  no  doubt  that  he  would  be  able  to  surprise 
Major-General  Otis  and  under  the  cover  of  darkness  achieve  an  easy  victory. 
The  situation  was  precarious  for  a  long  while,  though  the  Filipinos 
sought  to  quiet  suspicion  of  their  designs  by  profuse  assurances  whenever 


ioo  OUR  BATTLES  WITH  THE  FIIJPINOS. 

they  were  discovered  in  a  hostile  act.     They  maintained  a  strictly  belligerent 

attitude,  however,  and   their  sentries  were  posted  within  a  few  yards  of  our 

outposts,  while  day  and  night  a  large  force  was  industriously 

Irritating  Conduct  en2raore(j  increasing  their  intrench ments  and  otherwise  pre- 
of  the  Filipinos.  f 

paring  for  an  attack  upon  Manila.  Such  strained 
relations  could  not  endure  indefinitely,  and  the  rupture  was  finally  precipi- 
tated by  an  invasion  of  the  neutral  zone  by  a  small  party  of  insurgents  who 
passed  the  American  guards  and  refused  to  halt  or  turn  back  when  chal- 
lenged. At  this  time  the  fighting  force  of  the  insurgents  was  estimated  to  be 
30,000  men,  of  which  number  20,000  were  before  Manila,  fairly  well  armed 
and  occupying  strong  positions.  Our  total  force  in  the  Philippines  was 
about  twenty-one  thousand,  two  thousand  of  which  number  was  incapaci- 
tated, by  sickness,  or  on  leave,  and  less  than  ten  thousand  were  in  Manila, 
the  others  being  distributed  at  various  points  in  the  islands. 

When  hostilities  began  by  an  attack  made  by  the  Filipinos  on  the 
night  of  Saturday,  February  4,  1899,  the  American  army  encircled  Manila 
in  two  divisions.  The  first  division  was  commanded  by  General  Anderson, 
the  First  brigade  of  the  First  division  being  under  command  of  Brigadier- 
General  King,  and  the  Second  being  commanded  by  Brigadier-General  Oven- 
shine.  The  lines  extended  from  the  sea  along  the  line  of  Spanish  block- 
houses to  the  Pasig  River,  in  Samapaloc.  The  Second  division,  under  Gen- 
eral MacArthur,  with  the  First  brigade,  commanded  by  Brigadier-General 
Harrison  G.  Otis,  and  the  Second  brigade,  by  Brigadier-General  Hale, 
occupied  a  position  to  the  north  of  the  city  from  Pasig  River  to  the 
sea. 

The  most  extreme  point  inland  occupied  by  American  troops  was  the 
camp  of  the  Nebraska  regiment,  at  Santa  Mesa,  where  the  first  fight  began 
on  Saturday  at  8.45  p.  m.  The  Nebraska  outposts  challenged  and  fired  on 
an  insurgent  company,  which  was  advancing  into  the  neutral  zone,  but  the 
Filipinos  disregarded  the  command  and  a  few  moments  later  another  com- 
pany swept  across  the  neutral  zone  as  if  by  preconcerted  signal  which 
drew  the  fire  of  our  sentries  and  the  battle  opened.  A  heavy  force  of  insur- 
gents on  the  north  of  the  city  began  a  sharp  fusillade  on  the  Nebraska  camp, 
to  which  the  regiment  responded  with  spirit.  Springfields  flamed  in  the 
half  moon  all  about  the  camp,  while  the  enemy's  Mausers  gave  no  flash. 

At  four  o'clock  on  Sunday  morning,  with  the  shout 
Across  the  Brid    •   °^  "  ^va  ^a  Republica  !  "  the  Filipinos  tried  to  rush  across 

the  bridge,  over  a  road  leading  to  the  waterworks,  opposite 
the  American  camp.  One  company  of  Nebraska  men  met  the  advancing 
insurgents  at  the  bridge  and  drove  them  back.  Twice  the  Filipinos,  with 


OUR  BATTLES  WITH  THE  FILIPINOS.  101 

indomitable  pluck,  charged  upon  the  bridge  again,  but  they  were  driven 
back  each  time. 

Lieutenant  Webb,  of  Battery  A,  stationed  on  Santa  Mesa  Hill,  prayed 
for  daylight,  and  when  dawn  came  two  guns  of  the  Utah  battery  opened  fire 
so  near  to  the  firing  line  that  two  men  were  killed  at  once. 

The  plan  of  the  second  division  was  to  sweep  forward  and  carry  a  high 
position  held  by  the  enemy  north  of  the  Pasig  River.  The  Colorado  volun- 
teers, under  command  of  Colonel  Mecoy,  rushed  blockhouses  No.  2  and  No.  6, 
and  the  villages  beyond  San  Juan  Bridge  were  cleared  with  shrapnel.  The 
Nebraska  men  made  their  way  over  the  bridge,  crouching  in  pairs,  amid 
the  hissing  and  pattering  of  bullets.  On  the  other  side  they  were  met  with 
a  hail  of  lead  from  the  steep  hill  of  San  Juan;  but  they  were  followed  closely 
by  two  Nordenfeldts,  under  charge  of  Lieutenant  Gibbs.  As  these  rumbled 
over  the  bridge  a  battalion  of  Tennessee  troops  approached  and  quickly 
followed  across,  in  columns  of  four,  under  fire.  Colonel  Smith  fell  from 
his  horse  and  died  of  apoplexy  at  the  moment  of  the  charge. 

Up  the  hill  the  artillery  and  infantry  scrambled,  dig- 
ging with  their  hands  and  feet.     Nothing    could  stand  Charse  of  Artillery 

and  Infantry 
before  them.     It  was  a  grand  sight.     At  twelve   o'clock        up  the  HnL 

noon  (Sunday,  February  5)  our  men  took  the  reservoirs  at 
the  top  of  the  hill.     Further  to  the  left,  on  the  heights,  was  Binando  church. 
In  order  to  take   this  the  Americans  did  not  have  to  advance  up  a  steep 
Incline,  but  could  make  a  gradual  ascent  over  two  miles  of  rough  country, 
though  barbed  wire  impeded  their  advance. 

The  Utah  guns  followed  the  troops  step  by  step,  to'  clear  the  way,  while 
the  Third  Artillery  moved  along  dikes  through  a  cul-de-sac,  with  swamps  on 
either  side,  and  got  into  the  open,  losing  twenty-five  men.  Two  batteries  then 
swung  to  the  right,  under  Captain  O'Hara,  going  into  the  open  like  veterans, 
and  drove  from  the  Chinese  church  the  insurgents,  who  were  pouring  a  cut- 
ting fire  on  the  Montana  and  Pennsylvania  troops  while  they  were  coming 
up  the  hill  through  a  cemetery  toward  Binando  church. 

Colonel  Frost,  commanding  the  South  Dakota  regiment,  swung  that 
body  around  from  the  left  and  carried  two  insurgent  redoubts,  where  thirty 
Filipinos  were  killed.  The  South  Dakota  and  a  part  of  the  Pennsylvania 
troops  then  stormed  and  took  the  Binando  church. 

The  "  Concord  "  from  the  bay  shelled  the  woods  near 
the  shore,  and  the  Kansas  men,  followed  by  the  Montana       Successfully 

Repulsed  Six 

troops  and  supported  by  one  gun,  moved    011    Saturday        Onslaughts. 

night  along  the  Caloocan  road.     The  enemy  charged  them 

six  times,  coining  within  one  hundred  yards,  but  they  were  steadily  pushed 


loa  OUR  BATTLES  WITH  THE  FILIPINOS. 

back  until,  by    Sunday    night,     the    American   line   had   advanced   three 
miles. 

Thus,  all  along,  the  Second  division  had  little  difficulty  in  driving  the 
enemy,  who  fought  well  behind  trenches,  but,  once  dislodged,  fled  in 
panic.  Against  the  First  division,  south  of  the  city  the  fighting  was  hardest, 
the  insurgents  showing  wonderful  pluck,  under  the  command  of  General 
Noviel. 

During  Saturday  night  everything  was  quiet;  but  at  half-past  seven 
o'clock  on  Sunday  morning,  from'  Artillery  Knoll — General  Anderson's 
headquarters — the  Sixth  Artillery  opened  fire,  and  from  the  bay  to  block- 
house No.  14 — where  the  American  troops  entered  Manila — the  ground  was 
held  by  the  North  Dakota  regiment  and  the  Fourteenth  Infantry.  The 
"Monadnock,"  from  her  place  in  the  bay,  pounded  the  insurgents  with  her 
big  guns. 

Captain  Murphy,  in  command  of  the  Fourteenth  battalion,  began  fight- 
ing at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning.  So  stubborn  was  the  resistance  at  this 
point  that  he  succeeded  in  taking  blockhouse  No.  14,  four  hundred  yards> 
distance,  only  at  two  o'clock  in  the  afternon.  This  place  is  called  u  Bloody 
Lane"  by  the  Spaniards. 

Lieutenant  Michael  fell,  crying,  u  Never  mind  me.  Go 

Lieutenant        on  ,  „     Lieutenant  Miles  then  took  the  lead.     One  him-' 

Michael's  Heroic 

Death.  dred  yards  from  the  blockhouse  the  fire  was  so  hot  he 

called  for  volunteers,  and,  with  eight  men,  he  took  it,  the 
insurgents  going  out  as  his  men  went  in. 

General  Ovenshine  was  ordered  to  dislodge  the  enemy  in  Murphy's  front. 
He  formed  a  brigade  of  the  Fourteenth  Infantry  on  the  right  of  Murphy's 
position,  with  volunteers  on  the  right  of  the  Fourteenth  Infantry  and  Troops 
E,  C  and  L,  of  the  Fourth  Cavalry,  dismounted,  on  the  left  of  Murphy's 
men.  All  the  men  to  the  right  of  Murphy's  position  wheeled  to  the  left 
across  an  open  field  till  a  thicket  was  reached.  Then  they  opened  fire  and 
the  enemy  finally  was  dislodged.  The  engagement  was  hot,  but  the  fire  of 
our  men  was  irresistible.  General  Ovenshine,  with  his  brigade,  then  pro- 
ceeded to  Pasay,  which  he  entered  without  resistance. 

The  line  of  the  First  division  on  Sunday  extended  from  the  bay  at 
Pasay  to  the  Pasig  River,  at  San  Pedro  and  Macati.  Further  inland  our  line 
ran  along  the  stream  to  Triega.  Three  miles  in  front  was  an  open  country. 
One  and  a  half  miles  diagonally  across  the  line  Colonel  Smith,  with  three 
companies  of  California  troops,  one  Washington  and  four  Wyoming  com- 
panies, was  ordered  to  advance  toward  San  Pedro  Macati.  General  King 
was  to  move  forward  as  soon  as  Colonel  Smith  came  opposite.  The  troops 


OUR  BATTLES  WITH  THE  FILIPINOS.  103 

waded  the  stream  and   marched    into   the   open   as   if  they  were   on   drill. 
From    the    stone   houses,  nipa  huts  and  earthworks  the  enemy  poured  bul- 
lets upon  the  Americans,  while   Battery  D,    of  the   Sixth 
Artillery,  under  Captain  Dyers,  and  Hawthorne's  separate  crossed  the  stream 
Montana  battery   continued   to  shell  the  enemy  magnifi-    Under  Hot  Fire. 
cently  over  the  heads  of  the  advancing  troops. 

At  San  Pedro  Macati  the  position  of  the  insurgents  seemed  impregnable, 
but  Lieutenant  Haven,  of  Company  A  Engineer  Corps,  forced  a  way  back 
of  the  town,  and,  by  plucky  work,  made  the  position  untenable  for  the 
enemy.  Washington  troops  swam  the  estuary  under  fire,  and  later  the  Idaho 
troops,  with  one  company  of  Washington  men,  swept  the  insurgents  toward 
the  left.  One  hundred  of  the  Filipinos  jumped  into  the  Pasig  River,  but 
only  twenty  succeeded  in  getting  across  the  stream.  The  village  was  burned 
on  every  side  to  dislodge  the  guerillas.  The  smoke  of  fire  and  battle 
encircled  the  city. 

An  improvised  river  gunboat,  with  Captain  Randolph,  of  the  Third 
Artillery,  commanding,  riddled  Santa  Ana  with  its  guns.  The  Idaho  troops 
charged  the  bastion  fort,  and  Major  McConville  was  killed.  Two  Krupp 
guns  were  captured.  Sixty-five  dead  insurgents  were  found  in  one  heap  and 
the  rice  fields  were  dotted  with  dead  and  wounded  Filipinos.  The  hospital 
corps  did  splendid  work  for  both  friend  and  enemy.  The  insurgents,  once 
dislodged,  ran  miles  back  into  the  country,  all  along  the  line  swept  by  the 
First  Division. 

On  Monday  afternoon  the  Nebraska  battalions,  the  Twenty-third  Infantry 
and  the  Tennessee  troops,  General  Hale  commanding,  with  four  guns,  under 
Major  Young,  of  Utah,  swept  the  country  for  four  miles, 

to  the  pumping  station.    They  shelled  the  insurgents  from    Gallant  Work  of 
i  -11    ,      1  -11  ,1  i-  ,1  11  -11  f         i  ,1  Volunteers  on 

lull  to  hill.     At  the  foot  of  the  second  hill  was  found  the          Monday. 
stripped  body  of  Dr.  Young,  of  Utah,  who  rode  through 
the  lines  by  mistake.     His  horse  had  been  shot  and  twelve  empty  revolver 
cartridges  were  found  by  his  side,  indisputable  evidence  of  the  heroic  fight 
he  had  made  against  the  multitude  that  overwhelmed  and  shot  him  to  death. 

The  insurgents  retired,  firing  as  they  went,  and  at  five  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon  of  Monday  the  pumping  station  had  been  taken.  The  cylinder 
heads  had  been  removed  by  the  insurgents,  but  they  were  found  later,  in  the 
coal  works,  and  being  in  good  condition,  were  promptly  replaced.  On 
Tuesday  General  Anderson  moved  his  left  up  to  the  Lagana  Pasig,  which 
surrendered. 

For  several  days  thereafter  trainloads  of  insurgents  were  seen  landing 
at  Caloocan,  north  of  Manila,  and  on  Friday  the  "  Concord "  shelled  the 


104  OUR  BATTLES  WITH  THE  FILIPINOS. 

town.  General  MacArthur  sent  the  Kansas  and  Montana  troops  and  the 
Third  Artillery  to  take  the  place.  In  a  splendid  charge  the  Kansas  men 
went  through  a  jungle  near  shore,  driving  the  enemy  before  them,  and 
killing  great  numbers. 

For  several  days  after  being  routed  from  before  Manila  the  insurgents 
were  to  be  seen  gathering  at  Caloocan,  twelve  miles  to  the  north,  evidently 
with  the  intention  of  rallying  their  forces  for  another  attack.  To  anticipate 
the  plans  of  the  enemy  and  render  them  ineffectual,  Major-General  Elwell 
S.  Otis,  commander  of  the  American  forces,  determined  to  attack  the  city  at 
once.  Accordingly,  on  Friday,  the  tenth,  he  sent  instructions  to  his  officers, 
and  also  requested  assistance  of  the  naval  forces  under  Admiral  Dewey.  A 
few  hours  later  Major-General  MacArthur  reported  that  all  was  ready,  and  at 
three  o'clock  he  received  the  following  message: 

The  commanding  general  orders  you  to  go  ahead  with  the  program. 

BARRY. 

The  monitor  "  Monadnock  "  and  the  cruiser  "  Charleston  "  immediately 
manoeuvred  for  position,  and  as  Caloocan  is  within  easy  range  from  the  bay, 
a  vigorous  bombardment  from  their  eight-inch  guns  was  begun. 

At  the  same  time  that  the  warships  began  shelling,  the  Sixth  Artillery 
and  the  Utah  Battery  opened  fire  on  the  rebel  intrenchments  on  the  landward 
sides  of  the  town.  The  country  between  the  American  portion  and  Caloocan 
was  covered  with  banana  groves,  bamboo  hedges  and  paddy  fields,  with  here 
and  there  straggling  collections  of  nipa  huts,  all  of  which  afforded  excellent 
shelter  for  the  native  soldiers  near  the  town  proper  who  were  not  in  the 
trenches  or  otherwise  disposed  of.  Some  of  these  men  had  the  reputation  of 
being  sharpshooters,  but  their  work  did  not  justify  the  title,  as  the  damage 
done  by  them  was  trifling. 

The  artillery  and  the  warships  pounded  away  until  four  o'clock,  when 
orders  were  given  for  General  Harrison  G.  Otis'  brigade,  except  the  Penn- 
sylvania regiment,  which  was  held  as  a  reserve,  to  move 
'"the  infant"  '  on  ^ie  enemv's  works.  The  men  had  been  impatiently 
waiting  for  the  order,  and  as  the  word  was  passed  down 
the  line  they  responded  with  cheers.  The  movement  was  made  in  the 
following  order  from  left  to  right :  Twentieth  Kansas  Infantry,  First  Montana 
Infantry  and  Third  Artillery,  the  Twentieth  Kansas  and  the  First  Montana 
being  supported  by  the  First  Idaho  Infantry,  and  the  Third  Artillery  by  the 
Fourth  Cavalry. 

The  Filipinos  were  awaiting  the  advance  of  the  treops,  and  as  the 
Americans  began  to  move  forward  the  rebels  started  a  rattling  fire,  which 


OUR  BATTLES  WITH  THE  FILIPINOS.  105 

made  considerable  noise  but  did  no  great  damage.  The  Americans  declined 
to  answer,  but  pressed  steadily  forward.  Not  a  stop  was  made  until  they 
.reached  the  intrenchments,  from  which  most  of  the  natives  hastily  scrambled 
as  the  Americans  drew  near.  The  rebels  tried  to  make  their  way  to  the 
shelter  afforded  by  the  town,  but  scores  of  them  failed  to  reach  their  goal, 
being  stopped  by  American  bullets. 

Just  at  this  time  the  Filipinos  were  thrown  into  worse  confusion  by  the 
discovery  that  they  had  been  flanked.  A  company  of  the  First  Montana 
Infantry,  under  command  of  Major  J.  Franklin  Bell,  Chief  of  the  Bureau  of 
Military  Information,  whose  services  had  been  invaluable,  had  volun- 
teered to  execute  the  flank  movement,  and  moving  off  to  the  east, 
without  being  detected  arrived  on  the  enemy's  flank  back  of  the  town.  The 
natives  saw  they  were  trapped,  and  scattering,  fled  like  sheep,  many  of 
them  dropping  their  weapons  in  their  anxiety  to  escape.  The  Americans 
had  jumped  the  trenches,  and,  yelling  and  cheering,  were 
in  full  pursuit.  It  was  simply  a  rout,  and  proved  that,  A  B''Mliant  Flank 

.  .  .       .  ...  Movement. 

even  with  the  aid  of  artificial  defences,  the  Filipinos  are 

no  match  for  the  Americans  who  are  fighting  them.  Barricades  had  been 
erected  at  the  place  where  the  Malabon  road  crosses  the  line  of  the  Daguypan 
Railway,  in  the  centre  of  the  town.  These  had  been  torn  to  pieces  in 
many  places  by  the  fire  from  the  warships  and  land  batteries. 

As  the  Twentieth  Kansas  and  First  Montana  regiments  entered  the 
town  from  the  south,  some  of  the  fleeing  natives  set  fire  to  the  huts,  whose 
roofs  are  made  of  nipa  grass,  thinking  to  start  a  blaze  which  would  destroy 
the  place.  In  this  they  were  disappointed,  however,  as  the  Americans 
extinguished  the  fires. 

The  losses  of  the  Americans  were  slight,  but  the  enemy  suffered  heavily 
both  in  killed  and  wounded.  Most  of  the  casualties  to  the  Filipinos  were 
caused  by  shrapnel,  the  screaming  and  effectiveness  of  which  caused  terror 
among  the  natives.  Among  the  Americans  wounded  was  Colonel  Bruce 
Wallace,  of  the  First  Montana  Infantry. 

After  the  Americans  were  in  possession  of  the  town  it  was  found  that 
there  was  only  one  house  in  the*  place  that  had  a  flagstaff.  This  belonged 
to  Mr.  Higgins,  an  Englishman,  who  is  president  of  the  Daguypan  Railway. 
He  lent  the  staff  to  General  Otis,  and  at  half-past  five  o'clock  the  American 
flag  was  floating  over  the  town.  Its  appearance  was  greeted  with  enthusiastic 
cheering  by  the  troops. 

Insurgent  troops  were  massing  to  the  support  of  Aguinaldo's  forces  at 
Caloocan  and  Malabon  when  the  fighting  began.  It  was  reported  that  there 
were  6,000  rebels  at  the  two  places,  among  them  being  the  famous  Seventy- 


io6  OUR  BATTLES  WITH  THE  FILIPINOS. 

third  Filipino  Regiment,  which  in  the  last  rebellion  killed  its  Spanish  officers 
and  then  deserted  to  Aguinaldo. 

Except  for  the  advance  on  Caloocan  the  American  line  was  much  the 
same  as  it  was  on  Wednesday.  On  the  right  General  Ovenshine's  brigade 
extended  to  the  beach  two  miles  north  of  Camp  Dewey  and  to  the  Pasig  River. 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Treumann,  with  the  North  Dakota  volunteers,  had 
established  his  headquarters  on  the  beach,  whence  he  was  in  signal  commu- 
nication with  the  American  fleet.  The  Second  battalion  of  the  Dakota 
regiment  extended  along  the  front,  and  all  of  the  Fourteenth  Infantry  except 
Companies  M  and  E  was  stationed  at  the  Pasig  River  and  extended  thence 
to  San  Pedro  and  Malate.  General  King's  headquarters  was  in  Pasig  Village, 
which  surrendered  the  day  before  the  attack  on  Caloocau,  and  the  California 
regiment  occupied  the  villages  of  Pasig,  Malate  and  Santa  Ana.  On  the  left 
General  Otis'  brigade,  consisting  of  the  Twentieth  Kansas  regiment,  eight 
companies  of  the  Pennsylvania  regiment,  tlie  Montana  regiment  and  four 
batteries  of  the  Third  Artillery,  stretched  back  from  Caloocan  to  the  Chinese 
cemetery,  where  there  was  an  excellent  signal  station  on  a  hill,  and  from  a 
church  tower  the  signalmen  communicated  with  the  fleet. 

The  Third  Artillery  regulars,  acting  as  infantry,  pushed  forward  in  the 

face  of  Filipino  bullets  as  cheerfully  as  though  the  deadly  missiles  had  been 

snow-balls,  before  which  resolute  advance  and  the  combined 

Fac-  oTa*  Leaden    acti°n  °f  ^Q  swiftly  closing  lines  of  the  Americans  the 

Storm.  enemy   retreated  in  an  utter   rout  and  fled  helter-skelter 

to  the  mountains. 

At  six  o'clock  "  cease  firing  "  and  the  "  recall  "  were  sounded.  The 
troops  were  then  well  through  Caloocan  and  north  of  it  with  the  enemy 
flying  in  utter  rout  in  every  direction. 

By  the  capture  of  Caloocan  control  of  the  Manila-Daguypan  Railroad  was 
obtained,  which  enabled  the  Americans  to  move  and  concentrate  troops 
promptly  along  the  line,  and  to  invest  Malabon,  Aguinaldo's  seat  of  govern- 
ment, which  was,  however,  evacuated  on  the  following  day,  most  of  the  town 
being  burned  by  the  Filipinos.  The  American  casualties  in  the  two  engage- 
ments were  fifty-nine  killed  and  199  wounded,  while  the  loss  of  the  Filipinos 
is  supposed  to  have  exceeded  2,500  killed  and  wounded,  and  4,000  prisoners. 

About  three  hundred  miles  south  of  Manila  is  the  island  of  Panay, 
which  comprises  4,633  square  miles,  and  contains  a  population  of  775,000. 
The  island,  though  a  small  one,  is  extremely  rich,  and  the 


™          people  are  more  advanced  than  in  any  other  part  of  the 


group.     The  chief  town  is  Iloilo,  of  some  35,000  inhabi- 
tants, and  is  the  seat  of  the  Catholic  see  of  Jaro.     The  natives  of  this  island 


OUR  BATTLES  WITH  THE  FILIPINOS.  107 

maintained  a  stubborn  resistance  against  the  Spanish  for  more  than  a  year, 
and  having  a  fairly  well  organized  army  of  10,000  men,  were  unwilling  to 
disband  after  the  treaty  between  Spain  and  the  United  States  was  concluded. 
Several  efforts  at  pacification  were  made  by  our  commissioners,  but  all  peace- 
ful overtures  failed  of  their  purpose,  the  natives  always  demanding  recogni- 
tion of  their  independence,  and  refused  to  treat  upon  any  other  basis.  The 
cruiser  "  Boston,"  accompanied  by  the  "  Petrel,"  was  finally  dispatched  to 
the  island,  convoying  three  transport  ships,  carrying  3,000  troops,  but  these 
were  not  permitted  to  land,  and  for  nearly  two  weeks  they  lay  off  Iliolo 
awaiting  orders ;  in  the  meantime  General  M.  P.  Miller,  who  was  in  com- 
mand, was  vainly  trying  to  persuade  the  insurgents  to  peacefully  permit 
American  occupation.  So  far  from  accepting  the  overtures  made  by  General 
Miller,  the  insurgents  remained  defiant  and  prepared  for  vigorous  resistance 
by  strengthening  their  defences. 

This  irritating  condition  was  at  length  relieved  by  the  action  of  Major- 
General  Otis,  who  on  February  8,  dispatched  Colonel  Potter  with  instructions 
for  General  Miller,  upon  receipt  of  which,  on  February  10,  an  ultimatum 
was  delivered  to  the  insurgents,  warning  them  that  an  attack  would  be  made 
upon  Iloilo  in  twenty-four  hours,  if  the  work  of  strengthening  the  defences  of 
the  city  were  not  at  once  discontinued. 

The  "  Boston  "  and  the  "  Petrel  "  made  a  reconnoissance  on  the  morning 
of  February  n.  The  insurgents  apparently  were  quiet,  but  at  half-past  8 
o'clock,  officers  on  the  "  Petrel "  observed  the  enemy  constructing  new 
earthworks  and  bringing  additional  guns  to  bear.  Captain  Wilde  was 
informed,  and  the  "  Boston  "  fired  two  small  projectiles  as  a  warning  to  the 
insurgents,  who  immediately  entered  their  intrenchments  and  opened  fire 
on  the  "  Petrel."  Both  vessels  replied,  and  soon  the  insurgents  abandoned 
their  works. 

Several  fires  were  observed  in  the  town  soon  afterward,  and  at  n 
o'clock  our  ships  landed  parties  under  Lieutenant  Niblack,  of  the  "  Boston," 
one  battalion  occupying  the  fort  and  substituting  the  American  for  the 
Filipino  flag,  the  sailors  assisting.  Our  troops,  taking  possession  of  the 
trenches,  pushed  through  the  town,  extinguishing  the  fires  where  possible, 
and  driving  the  insurgents  outside.  General  Miller  later  landed  additional 
troops.  Pushing  forward  to  the  bridges  leading  to  Jolo  and  Molo,  the 
insurgents  fired  the  native  Chinese  houses,  which  they  had  previously 
saturated  with  kerosene,  and  also  the  office's  of  the  Smith  Bell  Company, 
and  the  British  and  American  consuls,  the  German  consulate,  a  Swiss 
business  house,  and  an  empty  warehouse  belonging  to  an  American 
firm. 


SHALL  WE  KEEP  THE  PHILIPPINES? 

This  destructive  vandalism  was  all  the  injury  the  insurgents  were  able 
to  inflict,  as  not  a  single  American  soldier  was  killed  or  wounded  in  the 
attack,  and  complete  possession  of  Iloilo  was  obtained,  with  a  prospect  that 
no  further  resistance  to  our  arms  would  be  offered  by  the  Filipinos  of 
Panay. 


SHALL  WE  KEEP  THE  PHILIPPINES? 


Questions  that  Influenced  the  Treaty  Commissioners  in  Their 
Negotiations  with  Spain's  Representatives. 

BY 


{Member  of  the  American  Commission.) 

BEYOND  the  Alleghenies  the  American  voice  rings  clear  and  true.     It 
does  not  appear  anywhere  in  our  country  that  there  is  a  consider- 
able sentiment  favoring  the  pursuit  of  partisan  aims  in  questions  of 
foreign  policy  or  division  among  our  people  in  the  face  of  insurgent 
guns  turned  on  our  soldiers.    .Neither  has  any  reproach  come  because  when 
intrusted  with  our  interests  in  a  great  negotiation  your  commissioners  made 
a  settlement  on  terms  too  favorable  to  their  own    country.      If  we  have 
brought  back  too  much,  that  is  only  a  question  for  Congress  and  our  own 
people.     If  we  had  brought  back  too  little,  it  might  have  been  a  question 
for  the  army  and  the  navy. 

Put  yourself  for  a  moment  in  our  place.  Would  you  have  had  your 
representatives  in  Paris  declare  that  while  the  Spanish  rule  in  the  West 
Indies  was  so  wicked  that  it  was  our  duty  to  destroy  it,  we  were  now  so 
eager  for  peace  that  we  were  willing  in  the  East  to  re-establish  that  same 
wicked  rule  ?  Would  you  have  had  them  throw  away  a  magnificent  foot- 
hold for  the  trade  of  the  farther  East,  which  the  fortune  of  war  had  placed 
in  your  hands  ? 

Your  representatives  in  Paris  were  dealing  with  a  nation  with  whom  it 
has  never  been  easy  to  make  peace,  but  they  secured  a  peace  treaty  without 
a  word  that  endangers  the  interests  of  the  country.  They  scrupulously 


SHALL  WE  KEEP  THE  PHILIPPINES  ?  109 

reserved  for  your  own  decision  the  question  of  political  status  for  the 
inhabitants  of  your  new  possessions.  They  maintained,  in  the  face  of  vehe- 
ment opposition  of  well  nigh  all  Europe,  a  principle  vital  to  oppressed 
people  struggling  for  freedom.  That  principle  is  that  debts  do  not  neces- 
sarily follow  the  territory  if  incurred  by  the  mother  country  distinctly  in 
efforts  to  enslave  it.  But  your  representatives  at  the  same  time  placed  your 
country  in  no  attitude  of  endeavoring  to  evade  just  obligations. 

They  protected  what  was  gained  in  the  war  from  adroit  efforts  to  put  it 
all  at  risk  again,  through  an  untimely  appeal  to  the  noble  principle  of  arbi- 
tration. They  were  enabled  to  pledge  the  most  protectionist  country  in  the 
world  to  the  policy  of  the  open  door  in  the  East. 

At  the  same  time  they  neither  neglected  nor  feared  the  duty  of  caring 
for  the  material  interests  of  their  own  country,  the  duty  of  grasping  the 
enormous  possibilities  for  sharing  in  the  development  of 
the  East.     In  that  way  lies  now  the  best  hope  of  American     The  Expansion 
commerce.     The  Atlantic  Ocean  carries  mainly  trade  with       'commerce 
people  as  advanced  as  ourselves,  who  could  produce  or  pro- 
cure elsewhere  much   of  what  they  buy  from   us.      The   ocean  carriage 
for  the  Atlantic  is  in  the  hands  of  our  rivals.     The  Pacific  Ocean,  on  the 
contrary,  is  in  our  hands  now.     Practically  we  own  more  than  half  the  coast 
on  this  side,  and  have  midway  stations  in  the  Sandwich  and  Aleutian  Is- 
lands.    To  extend  our  authority  over  the  Philippine  archipelago  is  to  fence 
in  the  China  Sea.     Rightly  used  it  enables  the  United  States  to  convert  the 
Pacific  Ocean  almost  into  an  American  lake. 

Are  we  to  lose  all  this  through  a  mushy  sentimentality,  alike  un-Ameri- 
can and  un-Christian,  since  it  would  humiliate  us  by  showing  lack  of  nerve 
to  hold  what  we  are  entitled  to,  and  incriminate  us  by  entailing  endless 
bloodshed  on  a  people  whom  we  have  stripped  of  the  only  government  they 
have  known  for  three  hundred  years,  and  whom  we  should  thus  abandon  to 
civil  war  and  foreign  spoliation  ? 

Let  us  free  our  minds  of  some  bugbears.  One  is  the  notion  that  with 
the  retention  of  the  Philippines  our  manufacturers  will  be  crushed  by  the 
products  of  cheap  Eastern  labor.  Another  is,  that  our  American  workmen 
will  be  swamped  under  the  immigration  of  cheap  Eastern  labor.  It  is  a 
bugbear  that  the  Filipinos  would  be  citizens  of  the  United  States.  It  is  a 
bugbear  that  anybody  living  on  territory  or  other  property  belonging  to  the 
United  States  must  be  a  citizen.  It  is  equally  a  bugbear  that  the  tariff  must 
necessarily  be  the  same  over  any  of  the  territory  of  the  United  States  as  it 
is  in  the  nation  itself. 

Brushing  aside  these  bugbears,  what  are  the  duties  of  the  hour? 


i  io  SHALL  WE  KEEP  THE  PHILIPPINES  ? 

First — hold  what  you  are  entitled  to.  If  you  are  ever  to  part  with  it, 
wait,  at  least,  till  you  have  found  out  that  you  have  no  use  for  it.  Next, 
resist  admission  of  any  of  our  new  possessions  as  States, 
Neither  Citizens  or  their  organization  on  a  plan  designed  to  prepare  them 
°r tation*  for  admission.  Make  this  fight  easiest  by  making  it  at 
the  beginning.  Resist  the  first  effort  to  change  the 
character  of  the  Union.  We  want  no  Porto  Ricans  or  Cubans  to  be  send- 
ing Senators  and  Representatives  to  Washington.  We  will  do  them  good, 
if  we  may,  all  the  days  of  our  life,  but,  please  God,  we  will  not  divide  this 
republic  among  them. 

Resist  the  crazy  extension  of  the  doctrine  that  government  derives  its 
just  powers  from  the  consent  of  the  governed  to  an  extreme  never  imagined 
by  the  men  who  framed  it,  and  never  for  one  moment  acted  upon  in  their 
own  practice.  Resist  alike  either  schemes  for  purely  military  government 
or  schemes  for  territorial  civil  governments,  with  offices  filled  by  carpet- 
baggers from  the  United  States,  on  an  allotment  of  increased  patronage. 

I  wish  to  refer  with  respect  to  the  sincere  opposition  to  these  conclu- 
sions, manifest  chiefly  in  the  East  and  in  the  Senate,  and  with  especial 
respect  of  the  eminent  statesman  who  has  headed  that  opposition.  No  man 
will  question  his  ability  or  the  courage  with  which  he  follows  his  convic- 
tions. But  I  may  remind  my  readers  that  the  noble  State  he  represents  is 
not  now  counted  for  the  first  time  against  the  development  of  the  country. 
In  1848,  Daniel  Webster,  speaking  for  the  same  great  State,  conjured  up  the 
same  visions  of  the  destruction  of  the  constitution.  With  all  due  respect, 
a  great  spokesman  of  Massachusetts  is  as  liable  to  mistake  in  this  gen- 
eration as  in  the  last. 

It  is  fair  to  say  that  this  hesitation  over  the  treaty  of  peace  and  ac- 
quisition of  the  Philippines  is  absolutely  due  to  lack  of  faith  in  our  own 
people,  distrust  of  the  methods  of  administration  they  may  employ  in  the 
government  of  distant  possessions,  and  distrust  of  their  ability  to  resist  the 
schemes  of  demagogues.  If  there  is  reason  to  fear  that  the  American  people 
cannot  restrain  themselves  from  throwing  open  the  doors  of  our  Senate 
and  House  of  Representatives  to  Luzon  or  the  Visayas  or  the  Sandwich 
Islands,  then  the  sooner  we  get  some  civilized  nation  with  more  common 
sense  to  take  them  off  our  hands  the  better.  But,  having  thus  shirked  the 
position  demanded  by  our  success,  let  us  never  again  presume  to  take  a  place 
among  the  self-respecting  nations  of  the  earth. 


SHALL  WE  KEEP  THE  PHILIPPINES?  iu 

SHALL  WE  KEEP  THE  PHILIPPINES? 


An  Argument  Against  the  Treaty  and  Retention  of  the  Islands. 

BY 


IMPERIALISTS  seek  to  create  the  impression  that  the  ratification  of 
the  treaty  has  terminated  the  controversy  in  regard  to  the  future  of 
the  Philippines,  but  there  is  no  ground  whatever  for  such  a  conclusion. 
The  President  has  not  as  yet  outlined  a  policy,  and  Congress  has  so 
far  failed  to  make  any  declaration  upon  the  subject.  Several  administration 
Senators  have  expressly  denied  that  ratification  commits  the  United  States 
to  the  permanent  annexation  of  the  Philippine  Islands. 

The  treaty  extinguishes  Spanish  sovereignty,  but  it  does  not  determine 
our  nation's  course  in  dealing  with  the  Filipinos.  In  the  opinion  of  many 
(and  I  am  among  the  number)  the  ratification  of  the  treaty,  instead  of  closing 
the  door  to  independence,  really  makes  easier  the  establishment  of  such  a 
government  in  the  Philippine  Islands. 

The  matter  is  now  entirely  within  the  control  of  Congress,  and  there  is 
no  legal  obstacle  to  prevent  the  immediate  passage  of  a  resolution"  promising 
self-government  to  the  Filipinos  and  pledging  the  United  States  to  protect 
their  government  from  outside  interference.  If  we  have  a  right  to  acquire 
land,  we  have  a  right  to  part  with  it ;  if  we  have  a  right  to  secure  by 
purchase  or  conquest  a  disputed  title  from  Spain,  we  certainly  have  a  right 
to  give  a  quit  claim  deed  to  the  party  in  possession. 

If  the  power  to  part  with  the  islands  is  admitted,  the  only  question 
remaining  for  discussion  is  whether  the  United  States  should  permanently 
hold  the  Asiatic  territory  acquired  from  Spain.  For  two  months  the  senti- 
ment against  imperialism  has  been  constantly  growing,  and  there  is  nothing 
in  the  ratification  of  the  treaty  to  make  such  a  policy  more  desirable. 

Until  Dewey's  victory  no  one  thought  us  under  obligation  to  extend 
our  sovereignty  over  the  Filipinos.  If  subsequent  events  have  imposed  such 
an  obligation  upon  the  United  States  it  is  worth  while  to  inquire  as  to  its 
nature  and  extent.  Is  it  political  in  its  character?  Must  we  make  subjects 
of  the  Filipinos  now  because  we  made  allies  of  them  in  the  war  with  Spain?. 
France  did  not  recognize  any  such  obligation  when  she  helped  us  to  throw 


ii.»  SHALL  WE  KEEP  THE  PHILIPPINES  ? 

off  British  supremacy.     Are  we  compelled  to  civilize  the  Filipinos  by  force 

because  we  interfereu  with  Spain's  efforts  to  accomplish 

Shall  We  impose   tjie  same  en(j  by  the  same  means?     Are  we  in  duty  bound 

Taxation  Without  .     -  - 

Representation  ?  to  conquer  and  to  govern,  when  we  can  find  a  pretext  lor 
doing  so,  every  nation  which  is  weaker  than  ours  and 
whose  civilization  is  below  our  standard?  Does  history  justify  us  in 
believing  that  we  can  improve  the  condition  of  the  Filipinos  and  advance 
them  in  civilization  by  governing  them  without  their  consent  and  taxing 
them  without  representation  ?  England  has  tried  that  plan  in  India  for  a 
hundred  and  fifty  years,  and  yet  Japan  has  made  more  progress  in  the  last 
thirty  years  than  India  has  made  in  the  one  hundred  and  fifty.  And  it  may 
be  added,  the  idea  of  self-go veniment  has  developed  more  rapidly  among 
the  Japanese  during  the  same  period  than  it  has  among  the  people  of  India. 

Government  is  an  evolution  and  its  administration  is  always  susceptible 
of  improvement.  The  capacity  for  self-government  is  developed  by  respon- 
sibility. As  exercise  strengthens  the  muscles  of  the  athlete  and  education 
improves  the  mental  faculties  of  the  student,  even  so  participation  in  gov- 
ernment instructs  the  citizen  in  the  science  of  government  and  perfects  him 
in  the  art  of  administering  it. 

We  must  not  expect  the  Filipinos  to  establish  and  maintain  as  good  a 
government  as  ours,  and  it  is  vain  for  us  to  expect  that  we  would  maintain 
there,  at  long  range,  as  good  a  government  as  we  have  here.  The  govern- 
ment is,  as  it  were,  a  composite  photograph  of  the  people,  a  reflection  of 
their  average  virtue  and  intelligence. 

Some  defend  annexation  upon  the  ground  that  the  business  interests  of 

the  islands  demand  it.     The  business  interests  will  probably  be  able  to  take 

care  of  themselves  under  an  independent  form  of  govern- 

*°^   ment,  unless  they  are  very  different    from    the  business 

interests  of  the  United   States.      The  so-called    business 

interest  probably  constitutes  a  very  small  fraction  of  the  total  population  of 

the  islands.     Who  will  say  that   their  pecuniary  interests  are  superior  in 

importance  to  the  right  of  all  the  rest  of  the  people  to  enjoy  a  government 

of  their  own  choosing? 

Some  say  that  our  duty  to  the  foreign  residents  in  the  Philippines  requires 
us  to  annex  the  islands.  If  we  admit  this  argument,  we  not  only  exalt  the 
interests  of  foreigners  above  the  interests  of  natives,  but  place  higher  esti- 
mate upon  the  wishes  of  foreigners  residing  in  Manila,  than  upon  the  wel- 
fare of  our  own  people. 

The  fact  that  the  subject  of  imperialism  is  being  discussed  through  the 
newspapers  and  magazines,  as  well  as  in  Congress,  is  evidence  that  the  work 


SHALL  WE  KEEP  THE  PHILIPPINES?  113 

of  education  is  still  going  on.  The  advocates  of  a  colonial  policy  must  con- 
vince the  conservative  element  of  the  country  by  clear  and  satisfactory 
proof ;  they  cannot  rely  upon  catch  words.  The  "  Who  will  haul  down  the 
flag?"  argument  has  already  been  discarded.  "Destiny"  is  not  as  "Mani- 
fest "  as  it  was  a  few  weeks  ago,  and  the  argument  of  "  Duty  "  is  being 
analyzed. 

The  people  are  face  to  face  with  a  grave  public  problem.  They  have 
not  acted  upon  it  yet,  and  they  will  not  be  frightened  away  from  the  calm 
consideration  of  it  by  the  repetition  of  unsupported  prophecies.  The  battle 
of  Manila,  which  brought  loss  to  us  and  disaster  to  the  Filipinos,  has  not 
rendered  "  forcible  annexation  "  less  repugnant  to  our  nation's  "  code  of 
morality."  If  it  has  any  effect  at  all  it  ought  to  emphasize  the  dangers 
attendant  upon  (if  I  may  be  permitted  to  quote  from  the  President  again) 
"  criminal  aggression." 

The  Filipinos  were  guilty  of  inexcusable  ignorance.  They  thought 
that  they  could  prevent  the  ratification  of  the  treaty  by  an  attack  upon  the 
American  lines,  but  no  act  of  theirs  can  determine  the  permanent  policy  of 
the  United  States.  Whether  imperialism  is  desirable  is  too  large  a  question 
to  be  stilled  by  a  battle.  Battles  are  to  be  expected  under  such  a  policy. 
England  had  been  the  dominant  power  in  India  for  a  century  when  the 
Sepoy  mutiny  took  place,  and  rules  even  now  by  fear  rather  than  by  love. 

Force  and  reason  rest  upon  different  foundations  and  employ  different 
forms  of  logic.     Reason,  recognizing  that  only  that  is  en- 
during  which    is    iust,   asks  whether  the  thing  proposed       The  L°s|C  of 

1.*       "v  '  j  T    i      •         T  T       -i i  T    vm  Force  A8alnst 

ought  to  be  done  ;  force  says  I  desire,  I  can,  I  will !     When    That  of  Reason- 
the  desire  proves  to  be  greater  than  the  ability  to  accom- 
plish,   the  force    argument   reads    (in   the   past    tense)  I  desired,  I  tried,   I 
failed !     But  even  force,  if  accompanied  by  intelligence,  calculates  the  cost. 
No  one  doubts  that  the  United  States  Army  and  Navy  are  able  to  whip  into 
subjection  all  the  Filipinos  who  are  not  exterminated  in  the  process  ;  but  is 
it  worth  the  cost  ? 

Militarism  is  only  one  item,  of  the  cost,  but  it  alone  will  far  outweigh 
all  the  advantages  which  are  expected  to  flow  from  a  colonial  policy.  John 
Morley,  the  English  statesmen,  in  a  recent  speech  to  his  constituents,  uttered 
a  warning  which  may  well  be  considered  by  our  people.  He  said  :  "  Im- 
perialism brings  with  it  militarism,  and  must  bring  with  it  militarism. 
Militarism  means  a  gigantic  expenditure,  daily  growing;  it  means  an  in- 
crease in  government  of  the  power  of  aristocratic  and  privileged  classes. 
Militarism  means  the  profusion  of  the  taxpayers'  money  everywhere  except 
in  the  taxpayer's  own  home,  and  militarism  must  mean  war.  And  you 


ii4  SHALL  WE  KEEP  THE  PHILIPPINES? 

must  be  much  less  well  read  in  history  than  I  take  the  Liberals  of  Scotland  to 
be  if  you  do  not  know  that  it  is  not  war,  that  hateful  demon  of  war,  but  white- 
winged  peace  that  has  been  the  nurse  and  guardian  of  freedom  and  justice 
and  well-being  over  that  great  army  of  toilers  upon  whose  labor,  upon  whose 
privations,  upon  whose  hardships,  after  all  the  greatness  and  the  strength  of 
empires  and  of  states,  are  founded  and  are  built  up." 

Militarism  is  so  necessary  a  companion  of  imperialism  that  the  Presi- 
dent asks  for  a  two  hundred  per  cent  increase  in  the  standing  army,  even 
before  the  people  at  large  have  passed  upon  the  question  of  annexation. 
Morley  says  that  imperialism  gives  to  the  aristocracy  and  to  the  privileged 
classes  an  increased  influence  in  government.  Do  we  need  to  increase  their 
influence  in  our  government  ?  Surely  they  are  potent  enough  already.  He 
calls  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  toiler  finds  his  hope  in  peaceful  progress 
rather  than  in  war's  uncertainties.  Is  it  strange  that  the 

mpenalismand    ]aDorjnor  classes  are  protesting   against  both  imperialism 
Militarism  the  Poor 
Man's  Burden.     anc*  militarism  f      Is   it  possible  that  their   protest    will 

be  in  vain  ?  Imperialism  has  been  described  as  "  the 
white  man's  burden,"  but  since  it  crushes  the  wealth  producer  beneath  an 
increasing  weight  of  taxes  it  might  with  more  propriety  be  called  "  the  poor 
man's  load." 

If  the  Peace  Commissioners  had  demanded  a  harbor  and  coaling  station 
in  the  Philippines  and  had  required  Spain  to  surrender  the  rest  of  the  islands 
to  the  Filipinos,  as  she  surrendered  Cuba  to  the  Cubans,  we  would  not  now 
be  considering  how  to  let  go  of  the  islands.  If  the  sum  of  twenty  millions 
had  been  necessary  to  secure  Spain's  release,  the  payment  of  the  amount  by 
the  Filipinos  might  have  been  guaranteed  by  the  United  States.  But  the 
failure  of  the  Peace  Commissioners  to  secure  for  the  Filipinos  the  same  rights 
that  were  obtained  for  the  Cubans  could  have  been  easily  remedied  by  a 
resolution  declaring  the  nation's  purpose  to  establish  a  stable  and  independ- 
ent government. 

It  is  still  possible  for  the  Senate  alone,  or  for  the  Senate  and  House  to- 
gether, to  adopt  such  a  resolution.  The  purpose  of  the  annexationists,  so  far  as 
that  purpose  can  be  discovered,  is  to  apply  to  the  government  of  the  Filipino 
methods  familiar  to  the  people  of  Europe  and  Asia,  but  new  to  the  United 
States.  This  departure  from  traditions  was  authorized  by  the  people ;  whether 
it  will  be  ratified  by  them  remains  to  be  seen.  The  responsibility  rests  first 
upon  Congress,  and  afterward  upon  that  power  which  makes  Congresses. 

Whatever  may  be  the  wish  of  individuals  or  the  interests  of  parties, 
we  may  rest  assured  that  the  final  disposition  of  the  Philippine  question 
will  conform  to  the  deliberate  judgment  of  the  voters.  They  constitute  the 
court  of  last  resort,  from  whose  decision  there  is  no  appeal. 


AN  AUDIENCE  WITH  AGUINALDO.  115 

AN  AUDIENCE  WITH  AGUINALDO. 

BY  J.  R.  D.  HALLOWELL, 

(Of  the  Minnesota  Volunteers.) 


I    HAVE  had  the  distinction  and  the  satisfaction  of  presenting  a  com- 
munication to  Aguinaldo,  the  renowned  Filipino  leader  and  president, 
and  of  inspecting  his  palatial — if  not  palace — headquarters  at  Malalos, 
which  I  visited  in  an  official  capacity  early  in  January,  1899.     The 
special  duty  which  took  me  to  Malalos  I  am  not  at  liberty  to  divulge,  but  I 
violate  none  of  the  proprieties  by  describing  what  I  saw  and  heard  while 
there.     My  purpose  being  of  a  peaceful  character,  so  far  as  I  may  judge  by 
the  information  disclosed  to  me,  I  was  unaccompanied  by  guard  or  attend- 
ant, my  uniform  being  regarded  as  a  sufficient  passport  among  a  people 
whose  gratitude  we  at  least  deserved  for  our  effective  intercession  in  their 
behalf. 

As  I  approached  the  president's  (Aguinaldo's)  headquarters  I  observed 
at  either  side  of  the  door  and  up  the  broad  stone  stairway  men  holding  huge 
spears,  the  heads  of  which  shone  like  silver.  At  the  top  of  the  stairs  a 
great  surprise  awaited  me.  I  was  conducted  down  a  large 

hall    furnished   with  oriental   magnificence,  and  the  men 

0  zlmg  Splendor. 

here  were  dressed  in  superb  uniforms.  I  rubbed  my  eyes 
to  make  sure  I  was  not  dreaming — it  was  all  so  beautiful.  Seated  about  a 
door  were  some  fifteen  or  twenty  people  awaiting  an  audience  with  Agui- 
naldo. I  simply  sent  in  word:  "  An  American  with  a  communication."  In- 
stantly a  man  came  out,  his  dress  beyond  description,  and,  addressing  me  in 
good  English,  £aid,  "  Walk  in,  sir."  Again  I  rubbed  my  eyes,  for  I  was  in 
a  room  of  enormous  size  ;  crystal  chandeliers  hung  from  the  ceiling ;  at  one 
end  was  a  piano,  and  all  about  were  signs  of  great  wealth  and  even  royalty. 
My  escort  was  most  gracious  ;  he  was  sorry  to  detain  me,  but  the  president 
had  just  returned  from  a  three  days'  trip  back  in  the  mountains ;  he  was  sleep- 
ing, and  I  must  wait  until  he  should  awake.  He  continued:  "We  are  show- 
ing you  great  honor,  as  you  represent  the  American  nation.  All  others  we 
keep  waiting  outside  in  the  hallway."  I  thanked  him  in  the  name  of  Uncle 
Sam,  and  settled  down  for  one  of  the  most  interesting  talks  of  my  life.  The 
man  was  Aguinaldo's  secretary.  He  said  among  other  things  :  "  We  are 


n6  AN  AUDIENCE  WITH  AGUINALDO. 

grateful  to  your  country  for  freeing  us  from  Spanish  rule.     We  do  not  want 
to  fight  you.     We  love  and  respect  you.     All  we  want  are  freedom  and  pro- 
tection.    The  man  sleeping  in  there  is  our  Washington. 

Called  the  Washing-  YoUrs  made  a  great  nation  of  you.     Ours  will  do  the  same 
ton  of  His  People.  1 '      .  . 

for  us  ;  but  should  you  hand  the  islands  back  to  bpam,  we 

will  fight  to  the  death."  The  time  passed  all  too  quickly.  Another  door 
opened  and  another  gorgeous  creature  said  :  "  President  Aguinaldo  will 
give  audience  to  the  American,"  and  I  entered  what  to  these  poor  people 
is  the  Holy  of  Holies.  Seated  on  a  sort  of  throne  behind  a  desk  most 
beautifully  carved  was  Aguinaldo.  He  arose  as  I  approached,  and  when 
within  a  few  feet  of  him  I  saluted  as  to  an  American  officer.  He  returned 
the  salute  and  I  handed  him  the  communication,  withdrawing  again  a  few 
feet,  while  he,  evidently  much  excited  and  still  standing,  had  his  secretary 
read  and  translate  into  his  own  language  the  contents.  All  this  gave  me 
time  to  use  my  eyes,  which  I  did  to  good  effect.  First,  the  man  himself. 
He  is  very  short  in  stature,  with  a  heavy  face,  and  wearing  his  jet  black 
hair  pompadour.  He  is  only  twenty-eight  years  old  and  has,  like  all  the 
natives,  copper-colored  skin,  with  smooth  face  and  tiny  hands  and  feet ; 
unlike  his  attendants,  he  was  simply  dressed  in  a  white  linen  suit.  The 
magnificent  desk  was  covered  with  a  mass  of  silver  articles,  all  of  superb 
workmanship.  The  inkstand  particularly  was  massive.  The  room  was 
hung  in  dark  silks,  over  which  on  the  walls  were  superb  shields,  daggers  and 
spears,  all  highly  polished.  A  huge  globe  stood  by  the  desk  and  many  books 
were  about  the  room. 

After  he  had  perused  the  message,  I  withdrew  to  the  former  apartment 
while  he  dictated  his  reply.  This  consumed  another  half  hour,  every  min- 
ute of  which  I  enjoyed,  this  time  being  entertained  by  his  nephew,  a  boy  of 
fourteen  years,  who  was  precocious  and  diverting,  though  my  ignorance  of  his 
language  prevented  other  communication  than  we  were  able  to  conduct  by 
signs  and  facial  expressions.  With  the  answer  finally  in  my  pocket,  I  was 
escorted  out  of  the  old  convent  which  was  used  as  Aguinaldo's  official  resi- 
dence, and  my  departure  was  made  the  occasion  of  many  perfunctory  assur- 
ances of  regard,  etc.,  which,  however,  we  have  since  learned  is  the  Filipinos' 
diplomatic  disguise  for  evil  designs. 


NARROW  ESCAPE  FROM  AN  AWFUL  FATE.  117 


THEY  talk  about  these  things  in  whispers  as  yet.  Still,  members  of 
the  hospital  corps  of  the  Seventy-first  regiment  tell  some  strange, 
gruesome  stories  of  hospital  life  between  El  Caney  and  Siboney. 

Members  of  the  command,  in  close  touch  with  the  hospital,  tell 
of  one  instance  where  an  unconscious  yellow  fever  patient  was  being  buried 
alive  by  careless  attendants,  when  the  unfortunate  man  was  opportunely 
rescued.  It  was  on  July  14, 1898,  in  the  yellow  fever  hospital,  under  the  care 
of  Dr.  Hamilton  Jones.  One  patient  died  in  a  tent  in  which  there  were  six 
soldiers  laid  low  by  the  saffron  scourge.  The  two  worst  cases  rested  upon 
litters,  covered  with  the  regulation  blankets. 

One  of  the  assistant  stewards,  while  walking  through  this  particular 
tent,  noticed  that  one  of  the  stricken  soldiers  was  in  the  throes  of  death. 
He  saw  that  in  a  few  moments  the  brave  boy,  who  had  escaped  the  deadly 
Mauser  missiles,  would  breath  his  last  with  the  yellow  death.  These  facts 
were  reported  to  the  doctor,  who  promptly  had  the  matter  referred  to  the 
steward,  Sergeant  Meyer,  with  instructions  to  get  the  Cuban  "  burial  detail  " 
and  bury  the  man  in  the  trench  as  soon  as  he  breathed  his  last.  It  was  only 
a  few  minutes  later  that  the  assistant  steward  saw  the  Cubans  march  off  with 
a  litter,  bearing  a  silent  form,  covered  by  a  blanket.  "  Well,  his  folks  will 
go  in  mourning  at  home,"  muttered  the  hospital  official  as  he  walked  care- 
lessly into  the  tent  in  which  the  soldier  had  tamely  given  up  his  life  for  his 
country.  As  he  threw  back  the  flap  of  canvas  he  started  back  in  amaze- 
ment. There  in  front  of  him  lay  the  dead  man  on  his  litter-bier. 

"Whom  the  devil  are  they  burying?"  he  yelled  ;  and,  rushing  from  the 
tent,  he  ran  like  a  deer  to  the  trench  where  the  Cubans  were  just  throwing 
the  first  spadefuls  of  Cuban  soil  upon  the  quiet  form  beneath  the  blanket. 
Brushing  the  swarthy  military  sextons  aside,  he  jumped  into  the  trench, 
pulled  the  blanket  from  the  quiet  figure,  and  there  lay  another  scourge- 
stricken  soldier,  unconscious,  but  still  breathing. 

Casting  the  blanket  over  the  unconscious  man,  the  assistant  ended  the 
obsequies  before  they  terminated  in  a  horror,  one  of  the  terrible  errors  of  the 
war.  The  plague-stricken  soldier  was  lifted  from  his  premature  grave  and 
borne  back  to  the  hospital  tent  and  his  dead  comrade  placed  upon  the  litter 
and  carried  to  the  shallow  grave  which  had  so  nearly  encompassed  a  live 
man  in  a  living  tomb. 


u8  THE  BATTLE  OF  LAS  QUASIMAS. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  LAS  QUASIMAS. 

BY  ARTHUR  T.  COSBY, 

{Of  the  New  York  Volunteers.} 

I  WAS  in  the  fight,  June  24,  at  Las  Quasimas,  where  we  were  ambushed 
by  the  enemy.     After  a  few  clays'  rest  in  camp  we  were  pushed  ahead 
by  a  forced  march  late  in  the  afternoon  of  Thursday,  June  30,  and 
encamped  late  that  night  with'  a  cavalry  brigade  at  the  top  of  a  hill 
to  support  the  Fourth  battalion  of  artillery.     I  was  on  guard  that  night 
from  one  to  three,  so  that  I  had  little  sleep  when  the  reveille  sounded  at  four, 
Friday  morning.     About   daybreak  the  artillery  opened  fire  at  the  village 
of  Caney  on  the  right.     In  the  meantime  our  troops  on  the  hill  were  waiting 
for  orders  to  advance.  Our  battery  opened  fire  at  six  o'clock  at  a  distance  of  a 
mile  and  a  half  from  Santiago.     The  fortifications  of  the  city  could  be  dis- 
tinctly seen  across  the  valley  at  the  foot  of  the  hill. 

Everybody  was  on  the  qui  vive,  and  it  was  only  about  fifteen  minutes 
before  the  Spanish  replied  with  shells.  They  had  the  range  accurately  and 
the  very  first  shell  burst  over  the  battery  and  fell  among  our  men  immedi- 
ately around  it.  From  that  moment  we  had  a  most  uncomfortable  time. 
The  shells  would  come  hissing  overhead  and  then  burst  among  our  men, 
with  an  appalling  frequency.  The  cries  from  the  wounded  oh  all  sides 
showed  that  the  Spanish  fire  was  very  effective. 

The  feeling  of  lying  on  your  rolls  without  seeing  the  enemy  and  with- 
out being  able  to  shoot  in  return — simply  waiting  for  the  deadly  shells  to 
burst  and  then  see  what  damage  they  did, — was  most  uncomfortable  and 
appalling.  Officers  and  men  alike  felt  its  demoralizing  effects,  and  the 
command  was  finally  given  to  move  further  up  the  hill  under  the  protection 
of  a  ravine. 

This  fire  of  shells  is   infinitely  more  awful  than  either  fire  from  the 

enemy's  ambush  or  a  heavy  direct  volley.     As  the  shells  would  hiss  through 

the  air,  preparatory  to  bursting,  everybody  would  instinc- 

Trying  t(    Dodge    tjveiv  duck  to  the  ground.     It  was  a  great  relief  to  get 

Shells.  the  command  to  throw  rolls  and   haversacks  aside,  and 

being  stripped  to  cartridge  belts,  guns  and   canteens,  we 

advanced  down  the  road  direct  toward  the  enemy's  lines  at  Santiago.     As 

we  reached  the  valley  near  the  enemy,  the  magazines  of    our  guns  were 

loaded,  and  we  slowly  advanced  at  skirmish  intervals  of  two  yards  in  double 


THE  BATTLE  OF  LAS  QUASIMAS.  119 

file.  We  passed  a  little  creek  callad  the  San  Juan  River,  and  suddenly  the 
popping  of  the  Mauser  rifles  'and  rattle  of  rapid-fire  guns  was  heard  imme- 
diately ahead.  We  crouched  down  low  and  deployed  skirmishers  on  the 
right  along  the  river  bottom.  The  woods  were  pretty  thick,  so  that  it  was 
impossible  to  see  the  enemy,  and  the  open  ground  was  covered  with  grass 
shoulder  high.  The  fire  began  to  increase  in  rapidity,  and  men  were  falling 
on  all  sides.  We  then  saw  that  the  enemy  occupied  a  beautiful  position  a 
mile  away  in  a  blockhouse  at  the  head  of  a  gently  sloping  hill.  They  had 
evidently  calculated  the  range  beforehand,  as  their  shooting,  contrary  to  our 
expectations,  was  accurate. 

The  command  was  soon  given  for  our  troops  to  retire  to  the  shelter  of  the 

banks  of  the  creek,  and  there  we  stood  waist  deep  in  water,  waiting  for  the 

artillery  and  reinforcements  to  come  up.     All  of  this  consumed  a  couple  of 

hours.     About  noon  we  took  our  place  in  the  general  charge  that  advanced 

all  along  the  line  up  the  hill  toward  the  blockhouse.     Here  we  got  right  into 

the  thick  of  it,  and  while  the  boys  had  said  at  Las  Quasimas 

that    we   should    never   have  such  a  hot  fire  again,   the 

Sharpshooters. 

present  fire  was  simply  annihilating  as  compared  to  the 
other.  Shells  screamed  overhead,  bullets  whistled  all  around,  and  rapid-fire 
guns  belched  out  in  murderous  volleys.  To  stand  at  a  man's  full  height 
meant  certain  death.  The  officers,  unfortunately,  were  compelled  to  stand 
in  order  to  see  the  position  of  the  battlefield  and  to  direct  their  men. 
As  this  exposed  them  to  the  direct  fire  of  the  enemy,  as  well  as  made  them 
targets  for  the  sharpshooters  who  were  hid  in  trees  all  around,  they  suffered 
relatively  greater  than  the  men  in  the  ranks.  All  of  the  general  officers  on 
horseback  had  their  horses  shot  under  them  or  abandoned  them  early  in  the 
game. 

We  went  up  the  hill  by  short  dashes,  crouching  low  to  the  ground,  and 
then  would  lie  down  for  a  few  minutes  before  advancing  again.  The  forced 
march  of  the  night  before,  together  with  being  on  guard  duty  and  the  early 
marching  of  that  morning  had  exhausted  me  so  completely  that  at  every 
stop  I  tried  to  take  a  short  nap. 

It  was  while  200  yards  from  the  crest  of  the  hill,  lying  down  on  the 
ground,  that  I  suddenly  felt  as  if  a  rock  had  hit  me  on  the  hand  and  shoul- 
der. I  got  up  with  a  start  and  saw  that  my  right  hand  was  bloody  and  shot 
through  in  three  places.  As  it  was  impossible  to  fire  my  carbine  in  that 
state,  I  yelled  out  to  my  squad  leader,  Sergeant  Walter  Scosh,  the  old 
Princeton  tackle  of  '89,  that  I  was  wounded  and  going  to  the  rear. 

I  went  back  to  the  creek  and  there  found  several  wounded  men  crouch- 
ing behind  the  bank  from  the  unceasing  and  pitiless  fire  overhead.  Here  the 


120  THE  ANSWER. 

value  of  the  "  First  Help  to  the  Wounded"  bandages  was  practically  proven. 
The  men  carried  these,  and  when  our  wounds  were  roughly  bound,  we  all 
realized  that  these  ready  bandages  had  saved  many  a  poor  wounded  fellow's 
life.  After  dressing  my  wounded  hand,  I  suggested  that  I  felt  something  in 
my  chest,  and  a  colored  soldier  opened  my  shirt,  through  which  there  was  a 
bullet  hole,  and  found  that  my  breast  was  covered  with  blood. 

Several  of  the  wounded  men  who  could  walk  got  together  and  we 
started  for  the  rear  where  the  air  would  be  calmer.  No  one  knew  exactly 
where  the  rear  was,  and  one  man,  a  regular,  who  kept  ducking  every  time  a 
bullet  would  whistle  by,  was  afraid  to  go  either  ahead  or  behind,  to  the 
right  or  to  the  left,  but  insisted  on  marching  down  into  the  creek  as  the  only 
safe  place.  We  went  ahead,  however,  in  one  direction,  trusting  to  luck,  and 
finally  struck  the  main  road  through  which  our  troops  were  advancing,  and 
after  a  tedious  journey,  reached  the  improvised  hospital  at  Siboney,  where 
our  wounds  received  surgical  attention. 


T 


THE  ANSWER. 

BY  THOMAS  NELSON  PAGE. 

HE  old  lion  stands  in  his  lonely  lair ; 

The  noise  of  the  hunting  has  broken  his  rest ; 
He  scowls  to  the  Eastward  :  tiger  and  bear 
Are  harrying  his  jungle  ;  he  turns  to  the  West 


And  sends  through  the  murk  and  mist  of  the  night 
A  thunder  that  rumbles  and  rolls  down  the  trail ; 

And  tiger  and  bear,  the  quarry  in  sight, 

Couch  low  in  the  covert,  and  cower  and  quail ; 

For  deep  through  the  night-gloom,  like  surf  on  a  shore, 
Peals  thunder  in  answer,  resounding  with  ire  ; 

The  hunters  turn  stricken  :  they  know  the  dread  roar : 
The  whelp  of  the  lion  is  joining  his  sire. 


SANGUINARY  SAN  JUAN  HILL.  121 

SANGUINARY  SAN  JUAN  HILL. 

BY  LIEUTENANT  HERBERT  HYDE  TRUE. 

~W"    IEUTENANT  TRUE,  of  Company  L,  Seventy-first  Regiment,  has  the  distinction  of  being 

the  first  man  to  gain  the  crest  of  San  Juan  Hill,  in  the  fierce  assault  of  July  i. 

Before  Santiago  could  be  taken  it  was  necessary  that  the  Spanish  works  on  San  Juan 

"r      should  be  captured.     On  the  summit  was  a  strong  blockhouse  about  which  several 

pieces  of  artillery  were  mounted  and  so  posted  as  to  threaten  the  hill  slope  with  a 

plunging  fire.     In  addition  to  these  defences  trenches  were  dug  at  frequent  intervals  on  the  hill 

and  barbed-wire  fences  were  strung  to  impede  the  approach.     There  was  little  open  country, 

the  slopes  being  covered  with  a  dense  underbrush,  in  which  Spanish  sharpshooters  concealed 

themselves  and,  using  smokeless  powder,  fired  upon  our  advancing  troops  without  discovering 

their  own  position.    To  prepare  the  way  up  this  hill  for  the  advance  of  troops  not  only  required 

daring,  but  physical  strength  and  endurance.     General  Hawkins  selected  I/ieutenant  True  to 

command  the  pioneer  corps  of  the  First  Brigade  of  the  First  Division,  composed  of  picked 

men  from  the  Seventy-first  Regiment,  the  Sixth  and  the  Sixteenth  Infantry.     This  advance  up 

the  mountain  side  was  the  fiercest  engagement  of  the  war. 

I  remember  that  when  we  started  I  called  out  to  the  boys  :  "  Come  on, 
pioneers  !  We've  got  to  take  this  hill.  Let's  do  our  duty,  no  matter  what 
happens."  The  hill  was  very  steep;  so  steep  that  we  had  to  cling  to  the 
long  grass  to  keep  ourselves  from  falling  backward.  The  Sixteenth  and 
Sixth  Infantry  and  the  Seventy-first  Regiment  fellows  circled  to  our  left  and 
right  flanks.  The  higher  up  we  went  the  more  dangerous  became  our  path. 

When  we  left  Sevilla  we  started  in  column  of  fours,  but  we  had  to  go 
in   Indian   file   up  the   mountain  road,  over   brooks  and 
through  ravines.     We  got  along  at  a  fair  pace  until  we    y    oumn< 
struck  thick  underbrush    that  was  almost  impenetrable, 
behind  which  were  concealed  Spanish  sharpshooters  with  Mauser  rifles  and 
smokeless  powder.     We  knew  our  position  was  dangerous  and  the  quicker 
we  got  out  of  it  the  better.     The  quickest  way  was  to  go  ahead  and  get  at 
the  Spaniards  by  cutting  the  barbed  wire  of  the  trocha.     It  was  like  trying 
to  find  a  needle  in  a  haystack,  this  locating  the  Spanish  sharpshooters,  for 
while  their  bullets  kept  singing  in  our  ears  we  couldn't  see  them,  hidden  as 
they  were  by  the  trees  and  bushes. 

I  saw  an  opening  and  we  rushed  through  it.  I  called  out :  u  We've  got 
so  far  and  we'll* go  the  rest  of  the  way."  The  boys  cheered,  and  on  we  werjfc 
with  a  rush.  The  Spanish  artillery  was  at  work  in  earnest,  but  every  time 
we  saw  shrapnel  coming  the  men  would  shout  "  low  bridge,"  and  we'd  throw 
ourselves  flat.  It  was  pretty  warm  work.  Three  men  were  shot  beside  me, 
but  I  was  lucky  enough  to  get  off  without  being  hit.  The  Spanish  put  up 
a  good  fight.  I'll  give  them  credit  for  that.  The  big  balloon  that  followed 


122  HIGH   OLD  JINKS  AT  SANTIAGO; 

the  Seventy-first  along  the  charge  helped  them  to  locate  our  men,  and  their 
fire,  although  generally  wild,  was  sometimes  effective.  The  Americans  had 
really  underestimated  their  fighting  ability.  They  knew  how  to  shoot,  and 
they  had  the  advantage  of  knowing  every  inch  of  the  ground.  Still,  they 
gave  way  when  our  men  charged  and  retreated  in  a  hurry.  Our  pioneer 

corps  cut  the  wires  with  clippers  and  axes,  and  not   a  man 
hurrah,  the  Victory    wag  kmed 

is  Ours  I  10  11  r* 

I  was  the  first  man  to  reach  the  summit  of  San  Juan 

Hill,  and  I  think  it  was  our  quick  action  that  saved  our  lives.  The  Spaniards 
were  not  expecting  such  an  impetuous  charge,  and  we  took  them  by  surprise. 

The  greatest  strain  came  upon  us  the  night  after  the  first  day's  battle. 
I  didn't  sleep  a  wink,  but  spent  the  night  looking  after  my  men.  The  smell 
from  rotting  vegetation  accumulated  for  years  was  almost  overpowering  as 
we  lay  in  the  trenches,  but  there  was  not  a  murmur.  The  second  day's 
fighting  was  really  more  exciting  than  the  first,  but  we  had  got  used  to  being 
under  fire  and  didn't  mind  it.  Bullets  flew  about  us  like  hailstones,  and 
men  fell  all  around  us.  We  had  to  cross  a  couple  of  creeks,  in  which  we 
waded  waist  deep  against  stong  currents,  and  it  was  at  the  creek  near  the 
field  hospital  that  the  Spaniards  did  the  most  damage.  Even  our  wounded 
and  the  Red  Cross  nurses  carry  disabled  men  were  shot  down. 

I  want  particularly  to  praise  the  Twenty-fourth  Infantry,  colored. 
They  did  everything  in  their  power  to  help  the  Seventy-first  boys,  and  some 
of  them  even  gave  up  their  places  and  rations  to  our  men. 


HIGH  OLD  JINKS  AT  SANTIAGO. 

BY  SERGEANT  OUSLER. 

THAT  story  about  Assistant  Surgeon  Church,  the  young  Washington 
medico  of  the  Rough  Riders,  who  dressed  a  fallen  man's  wound 
away  out  ahead  of  the  line  amid  a  hail  of  Mauser  bullets,  has  been 
published,  but  the  coolness  of  that  young  fellow  wasn't  even  half 
described.     While  he  was  making  an  examination  of  his  wounded  comrade, 
paying  no  attention  to  the  whistle  of  the  bullets,  a  young  private  of  the 
Rough  Riders,  who  had  been  a  college  mate  of  Church  at  Princeton,  yelled 
over  to  him  from  a  distance  of  about  twenty  feet — he  was  with  half  a  dozen 
fellows  doing  sharpshooters'  work  from   behind  a  cluster  of  bushes — to  ask 


HIGH   OLD  JINKS   AT  SANTIAGO.  123 

how  badly  the  patient  was  hurt.  The  young  surgeon  looked  over  his  shoul- 
der in  the  direction  whence  the  private's  voice  proceeded,  and  saw  his  former 
chum  grinning  in  the  bushes. 

"  Why,  you  whelp,"  said  Church,  with  a  omiical  grin  on  his  face,  "  how 
dare  you  be  around  here  and  not  be  killed  !  " 

Then  he  went  on  fixing  the  wounded  man,  and  he  remained  right  there 
with  him  until  the  arrival  of  the  litter  that  he  had  sent  to  the  rear  for. 

In  my  cavalry  outfit  there  was  a  fellow  with  whom  I  soldiered  out 
West  four  or  five  years  ago.  He  was  a  crack  ba^e  ball  pitcher,  and  he  would 
rather  play  ball  than  eat,  any  time.  He  got  a  Mauser  ball  plumb  through 
the  biceps  of  his  right  arm  early  in  the  engagement.  I  never  saw  a  man 
so'  darned  mad  over  a  thing  in  my  life.  The  wound  gained  him  a  good  deal, 
but  it  wasn't  the  pain  that  hurt  so  much.  I  met  him  at  th£  rear  after  the 
scrap  was  over.  He  had  tried  to  go  on  shooting  with  his  carbine  but  he 
couldn't  make  it  go  with  his  left  hand  and  arm  alone,  and  so  i?e  had  to  drop 
back.  He  was  alternately  rubbing  his  arm  and  scratching  hk>  head  vhen  I 
came  across  him. 

"  Hurt  much?"  I  asked  him. 

"  Hurt  nothing  !  "  said  he,  scowling  like  a  savage  ;  "  but  did  you  ever 
hear  of  such  luck  as  this,  to  get  plugged  right  in  my  pitching  arm  7  Why  the 
devil  didn't  they  get  me  in  the  neck,  or  somewhere  else, 

anyhow  ?  I'll  never  be  able  to  pitch  another  game,  I'll  bet  What  Made  Him 
*-  r  .'j.1.  i  •  A.  i.  1  SoTarnatMad? 

$2,  for  these  muscles  are  going  to  contract  when  the  hole 

heals  up,"  and  he  went  on  swearing  to  beat  the  band,  because  the  Spaniards 
hadn't  let  him  have  it  in  the  neck,  or  somewhere  else. 

One  of  the  fellows  in  the  Rough  Riders,  an  Oklahoma  boy,  got  a  ball 
clean  through  his  campaign  hat,  which  was  whirled  off  his  head  and  fell 
about  five  feet  away  from  him.  He  picked  up  the  hat,  examined  it  carefully, 
and  said : 

' '  I'll  have  to  patch  that  up  with  a  sticking  plaster,  or  I'll  get  my  hair 
sunburnt."  The  fun  of  it  was  that  his  hair  was  about  the  reddest  I  ever  saw. 

Roosevelt  was  some  distance  ahead  of  the  line  during  the  whole  scrap, 
moving  up  and  down  with  a  word  here  and  there  to  the  company  and  troop 
commanders.  One  of  the  Rough  Riders  from  New  York  rubber-necked 
after  Roosevelt  a  good  deal  and  watched  him  narrowly,  and  then  he  turned 
to  one  of  the  men  alongside  him  and  said  : 

"  And  yet,  by  jing,  a  couple  o'  years  ago  we  people  in  New  York  didn't 
think  Teddy  knew  enough  to  review  a  parade  o'  cops ! " 

There  wasn't  a  single  case  of  the  yellows  during  the  entire  fracas. 
There  wasn't  a  man  that  tried  to  edge  behind  a  fellow  in  front  of  him,  and 


i24  HIGH   OLD  JINKS  AT  SANTIAGO, 

it's  a  good  thing  the  skirmish  was  executed  in  extended  order  by  direct 
command,  for  column  formation  wouldn't  have  done  at  all.  The  men 
would  have  made  it  extended  order,  anyhow.  They  all  wanted  to  be  in 
front,  the  further  in  front  the  better.  We  had  to  do  a  good  deal  of  firing 
for  general  results,  on  account  of  the  screen  from  the  shelter  of  which  the 
Spaniards  fought,  but  there  was  some  very  brave  and  chesty  ducks  on  the 
other  side  who  stood  right  out  in  the  open  and  blazed  away  at  men  in  our 
line  that  they  picked  out  deliberately.  These  nervy  Spaniards  got  plenty 
of  credit  from  our  men  for  their  gameness,  too.  One  of  them,  a  young, 
small-looking  fellow,  stood  on  a  little  level  plateau,  within  dead  easy  range, 
letting  us  have  it  as  fast  as  he  could,  for  fully  five  minutes  before  he  went 
down.  If  he  wasn't  simply  crazy  with  the  excitement  of  the  game,  then  he 
surely  was  about  as  game  a  kid  as  they  make  'em.  He  was  noticed  by 
about  a  dozen  men  near  me,  and  one  of  them  said : 

"That  little  monkey's  too  good,  and  I  guess  I'll  just  let  him  have 
one  or  two." 

"Ah,  let  him  alone,"  said  another  fellow ;  "  there  are 

ke    him  in   that    bimdl    Otl   tllG  °tlier  Side  tliat  lie 

Fought  Well.       ought  to  have  a  show  for  his  taw  alley." 

The  nervy  little  Spaniard's  work  became  altogether 

too  accurate  and  vicious,  however,  and  we  got  a  volley  from  about  a  dozen 
of  our  men,  and  he  went  down  in  a  heap  and  rolled  down  the  hill  from  his 
little  rock-table  like  a  log. 

While  there  wasn't  a  single  case  of  the  yellows  on  our  side,  it  would  be 
plain  tornmyrot  to  say  that  none  of  us  was  nervous.  I  was  a  heap  nervous 
for  one,  and  I've  been  in  the  outfit  a  long  while,  and  I  heard  a  lot  of  the 
roughies  say,  after  the  scrap  was  over,  that  they  saw  the  gates  ajar  in  a  whole 
lot  of  different  colors  by  the  time  the  action  was  fully  under  way.  One  of 
the  roughies,  an  Illinois  fellow,  that  had  to  be  simply  pushed  back  two  or 
three  times,  he  was  so  eager  to  break  out  of  the  line  all  by  his  lonesome  and 
go  at  'em  single-handed,  was  talking  with  one  of  his  friends  after  the  firing 
had  ceased : 

"  I  never  felt  so  wabbly  in  my  life,"  he  said,  "and  it  was  nothing  but 
pure  hysterics  that  kept  me  going.  I  had  to  keep  saying  to  myself  all  the 
time,  'Steady,  there,  old  fellow,  and  see  to  it  that  you  don't  welch,'  and 
every  time  I  tussled  with  a  think  like  this  I  made  a  jump  forward  and  got 
out  of  line. 

One  of  the  Rough  Riders  from  New  York,  an  educated  fellow,  who'd 
probably  had  his  little  whirl  at  playing  the  horses  when  he  had  nothing  else 
to  do,  said  after  the  fight  was  over : 


HIGH  OLD  JINKS  AT  SANTIAGO.  125 

"Holy  gee,  but  that  game  is  decidedly  more  nerve-sapping  than 
dallying  with  100  to  i  shots." 

I  had  often  read  about  men  inaction  dodging  bullets  out  of  nervousness, 
but  I  never  took  any  stock  in  those  stories  until  this  fight.  Then  I  found 
out  that  it  was  true.  Men  do  dodge  bullets.  I  caught  myself  doing  it  half 
a  dozen  times,  and  nearly  all  the  other  fellows  did  it.  They  didn't  dodge 
all  the  time,  but  only  when  the  Spaniards  were  engaging  in  volley  firing. 
When  the  sound  of  the  volley  reached  them,  although  the  volley's  bullets 
had  long  passed  'them,  they  involuntarily  gave  little  ducks  of  the  head, 
like  a  man  does  in  a  boxing  match.  They  didn't  know  that  they  were  doing 
it.  I  called  the  attention  of  one  of  my  bunkies,  who  fought  alongside  of 
me,  to  his  imbecile  game  of  ducking  his  head,  and  he  turned  to  me  and 
said  : 

"  Why,  you  jay,  I've  been  watching  you  do  the  same  thing  for  the  last 
fifteen  minutes,"  and  he  was  right. 

There's  a  mean  kind  of  a  squat  cactus  growing  around  the  woods  down 
there,  and  the  digs  of  the  cactus  point  fooled  a  lot  of  the  men  into  believing 
that  they  had  been  pinked  in  the  legs.  I  saw  one  of  the  regulars,  a  corpo- 
ral, sit  down  suddenly  and  rub  his  left  leg  down  near  his  foot. 

"  Been  nipped  ?"  asked  one  of  his  swaddies. 

"  Yep,  in  the  ankle,"  was  the  reply. 

Then  he  pulled  up  his  trouser  leg,  lowered  his  sock, 

and  saw  nothing  but  a  little  abrasion  of  the  skin,  from   , 

'  by  a  Cactus  Thorn. 

which  the  blood  was  trickling.     He  had  struck  his  ankle 

against  a  cactus  point.     He  got  up  suddenly,  looked  at  the  cactus  for  a 

second,  and  then  trampled  it  into  the  ground. 

"  I  won't  get  fooled  that  way  again,"  he  said.  He  got  a  ball  in  his  left 
shoulder  later  on. 

A  lot  of  the  fellows  were  gagging  and  whistling  and  humming  during 
the  whole  thing — not  loud,  but  just  loud  enough  to  hear  themselves.  When 
the  firing  was  the  hardest  along  the  left  of  the  line,  a  half  dozen  of  the 
fellows,  I  heard  afterwards,  struck  up  the  coon  song,  "Get  Your  Money's 
Worth,"  and  kept  it  going  until  another  bunch  in  the  same  outfit  drowned 
'em  out  with  another  coon  song,  "  I  Don't  Like  No  Cheap  Man,"  which 
they  twisted  into  "I  Don't  Like  No  Cheap  Span."' 

There  were  very  few  of  the  fellows  who  were  killed  who  didn't  have 
some  kind  or  other  of  a  girl  trinket  on  them  when  they  were  laid  out  in  the 
rear.  The  officers  went  around  and  gathered  these  things  together,  making 
notes  of  them  on  pads  which  they  carried  around  with  them.  A  good  many 
of  these  lockets  and  miniatures  and  little  strands  of  sweethearts'  hair  were 


126  HIGH   OLD  JINKS   AT   SANTIAGO. 

sent  to  the  people   back  home  of  the  boys  killed,  on  the  dispatch   boat 
"  Dolphin,"  that  brought  me  over  from  Cuba. 

The  Spanish  soldiers  had  the  bulge  on  us  during  the  engagement  in 
this  respect,  that  they  fought  without  any  gear  whatever  except  their  rifles 
and  ammunition  belts.  All  of  their  individual  belongings,  such  as  knap- 
sacks, haversacks,  ponchos,  and  so  on,  they  left  behind  them  with  store- 
keepers, and  they  didn't  have  any  packing  to  do  during  the  scrap.  A  good 
many  of  the  troops  on  our  side  fought  in  practically  heavy  marching  order 
— that  is,  they  went  into  the  fight  that  way.  They  didn't  all  come  out  that 
way,  though.  The  temperature  was  something  fierce,  and  the  way  they 
chucked  gear  right  and  left  was  a  caution.  Most  of  them  hung  on  to  their 
canteens,  though,  for  water  certainly  tasted  sweet  in  that 
Difference  Between  heat  The  thrown-away  gear  was  nearly  all  gathered 

a  High  and  a  Low 

Ball.  together  alter  the  rumpus  was  over,  and  the  men  got  their 

belongings  back,  and  without  having  anything  said  to  them 
for  throwing  it  away,  either.  It  was  funny  to  hear  the  talk  of  some  of  the 
Rough  Riders  at  mess  that  night. 

"What  I  want,  and  want  right  now,"  said  one  of  them  to  his  companions, 
"  is  twenty-seven  Scotch  high-balls  and  a  caviare  sandwich." 

"  Stop  your  kidding,"  one  of  them  replied,  "  you're  in  luck  that  you 
didn't  get  one  Spanish  low  ball." 

One  of  the  boys  of  Hamilton  Fish's  outfit  sang  in  a  very  sweet  tenor 
voice  "  The  Vacant  Chair,"  at  niess  that  night.  It  was  enough  to  choke  a 
man  up. 

Edward  Marshall,  that  newspaper  correspondent  who  was  hit  in  the 
spine  early  in  the  fight,  was  a  game  man  all  right.  He  was  conscious  when 
they  picked  him  up. 

"  Where  did  you  get  it,  Marshall  ?"  he  was  asked  before  he  was  examined. 

"  I  pass,"  said  he,  for  he  didn't  know  where  he  was  hit  himself,  the 
bullet  made  him  so  numb.  "  Any  old  place  from  hat  to  moccasins,  I  guess." 


PRAISE   FROM  THE   FOI;  127 

PRAISE  FROM  THE  FOE. 


A  Tribute  From  U,000  Spanish  Soldiers. 

IT  is  very  doubtful  if  the  annals  of  warfare  have  ever  recorded  such  a 
document  as  the  farewell  address  which  was  presented  on  August  21  ? 
1898,  to  the  American  arrny  at  Santiago  by  11,000  Spanish  soldiers  on 
the  eve  of  leaving  Cuba  for  their  native  country. 

This  tribute  to  our  gallant  boys  reads  as  follows : 
"  Soldiers  of  the  American  army  : 

"  We  would  not  be  fulfilling  our  duty  as  well-born  men  in  whose  breasts 
there  live  gratitude  and  courtesy  should  we  embark  for  our  beloved  Spain 
without  sending  to  you  our  most  cordial  and  sincere  good  wishes  and  fare- 
well. We  fought  you  with  ardor,  with  all  our  strength,  endeavoring  to  gain 
the  victory,  but  without  the  slightest  rancor  or  hate  toward  the  American 
nation.  We  have  been  vanquished'by  you  (so  our  generals  and  chiefs  judged 
in  signing  the  capitulation),  but  our  surrender  and  the  bloody  battle  preced- 
ing it  have  left  in  our  souls  no  place  for  resentment  against  the  men  who 
fought  us  nobly  and  valiantly. 

"  You  fought  and  acted  in  compliance  with  the  same  call  of  duty  as  we, 
for  we  all  represent  the  power  of  our  respective  States.  You  fought  us  as 
men  face  to  face  and  with  great  courage,  as  before  stated,  a  quality  which 
we  had  not  met  with  during  the  three  years  we  have  carried  on  this  war 
against  a  people  without  religion,  without  morals,  without  conscience  and 
of  doubtful  origin,  who  could  not  confront  the  enemy,  but,  hidden,  shot  their 
noble  victims  from  ambush  and  then  immediately  fled.  This  was  the  kind 
of  warfare  we  had  to  sustain  in  this  unfortunate  land. 

"  You  have  complied  exactly  with  all  the  laws  and  usages  of  war  as 
recognized  by  the  armies  of  the  most  civilized  nations  of  the  world ;  have 
given  honorable  burial  to  the  dead  of  the  vanquished  ;  have  cured  their 
wounded  with  great  humanity  ;  have  respected  and  cared  for  your  prisoners 
and  their  comfort ;  and,  lastly,  to  us,  whose  condition  was  terrible,  you  have 
given  freely  of  food,  of  your  stock  of  medicines,  and  you  have  honored  us 
with  distinction  and  courtesy,  for  after  the  fighting  the  two  armies  mingled 
with  the  utmost  harmony. 

"  With  the  high  sentiment  of  appreciation  from  us  all,  there  remains 
but  to  express  our  farewell,  and  with  the  greatest  sincerity  we  wish  you  all 
happiness  and  health  in  this  land,  which  will  no  longer  belong  to  our  dear 


123  THE   MOST   HEROIC  ACT  OF  THE  WAR. 

Spain,  but  will  be  yours,  who  have  conquered  it  by  force  and  watered  it 
with  your  blood  as  your  conscience  called  for,  under  the  demand  of  civiliza- 
tion and  humanity. 

"  From  11,000  Spanish  soldiers. 

"  Pedro  Lopez  de  Castillo,  Soldier  of  Infantry. 

"SANTIAGO  DE  CUBA,  August  <?/,  1898." 


THE  MOST  HEROIC  ACT  OF  THE  WAR. 


True  Story  of  How  Hobson  Sank  the  "  Merrimac." 

THE   wars  of   the   nation,   from   Revolutionary  days  of  '76  to  the 
present,  are  punctuated  by  deeds  of  extraordinary  courage,    but 
history  has  never  recorded  a  more  heroic  act  than  that  performed 
by  Assistant  Naval  Constructor  Richmond  P.  Hobson,  on  the  night 
of  June  3,  at  the  entrance  to  Santiago  Harbor.    Lieutenant  Cushing's  feat  in 
blowing  up  the  Confederate  ram  "  Albemarle,"  in  Albemarle  Sound  (October 
27,  1864)  and    Lieutenant  Somer's  fatal  exploit  in  destroying  a  Moorish 
ship  in  Tripoli  Harbor  (May  25,  1804),  were  regarded  as  being  the  most 
noteworthy  examples  of  sailor  daring  in  the  annals  of  American  seamanship, 
but  desperate  as  were  these  undertakings,  they  were  not  more  so  than  was 
Hobson's  dashing  attempt  of  June  3,  to  block  Santiago's  harbor,  thereby  to 
prevent  the  escape  of  Cervera's  fleet  which  was  shut  within. 

When  Rear-Admiral  Sampson  joined  Commodore  Schley,  the  latter  had 
already  ascertained  that  it  would  be  impossible  for  the  fleet  to  crawl  into  the 
rat  hole  in  which  the  Spanish  fleet  had  taken  refuge.  The  mines  across  the 
entrance  and  the  batteries  which  commanded  it  made  the  mere  contemplation 
of  it  an  act  of  folly.  Commodore  Schley  was  inclined  to  think  the  dynamite 
cruiser  "  Vesuvius  "  might  be  able  to  countermine,  but  the  ships  would  have 
to  go  in  single  file  and  if  one  were  sunk  in  the  channel  the  progress  of  the 
others  would  be  blocked.  It  was  then  that  Lieutenant  Hobson  conceived 
the  scheme  of  sinking  a  big  collier  across  the  harbor  entrance  and  asked  to 
be  allowed  to  execute  it  himself.  It  seemed  certain  death  and  almost  certain 
failure,  as  the  odds  were  overwhelmingly  against  reaching  the  entrance 
before  discovery ;  but  Hobson  was  so  enthusiastic  that  his  confidence  was 
infectious,  and  the  Admiral  finally  but  yet  reluctantly  gave  his  consent. 


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DRAGGING  A  BATTERY   uP  THE  SLOPES  BELOW  SIBONEY. 


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THE  RECALL. 
Heroic  but  pathetic  incident  in  the  battle  of  Spottsylvania,  May  10,  1864. 


SCENF-:  IN  THE  TURRET  OF  THE  "  OLYMPIA  "  DURING  THE  BATTLE  IN 
MANILA  BAY,  MAY  i,   1898. 


OFF  FOR  THE  WAR. 


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SHIPPING  SIEGE  GUNS   AT  TAMPA  FOR  THE  INVASION   OF  CUBA. 


THE   MOST   HEROIC  ACT  OF  THE  WAR.  129 

Lieutenant  Hobsori's  chief  anxiety  was  that  in  the  dark  he  might  miss 
the  narrow  gut  and  run  on  to  the  shoals  at  the  west  of  the  entrance.     To 
prevent   possibility   of    this,    the   plan   of    allowing   the 
"  Merrimac  "  to  run  in  under  the  Spanish  flag  with  the        A  Patr?oti 
fleet  in  feigned  pursuit,  firing  blank  cartridges  and  blazing      Loya|  c0jors. 
the  path  to  the   harbor  entrance  with    searchlights,  was 
considered,  but  abandoned,  because  among  other  reasons,  Lieutenant  Hobson 
and  his  volunteer  crew  refused  to  become  sacrifices  under  false  colors.    They 
wanted  to  go  down  and  die,  if  must  be,  with  the  Stars  and  Stripes  floating 
proudly  from  the  "  Merrimac." 

When  the  Admiral's  consent  was  obtained,  Lieutenant  Hobson  became 
impatient  of  all  delay  and  that  very  night,  Wednesday,  after  the  moon  went 
down,  he  set  the  time  for  the  attempt.  Volunteers  were  called  for  on  all  the 
ships  of  the  fleet,  and  to  the  credit  of  the  American  navy  be  it  said  that  few 
flinched.  Whole  cheering  crews  stepped  forward  at  the  summons  for  the 
extra  hazardous  duty.  About  300  on  board  the  "  New  York,"  some  180  on 
board  the  "  Iowa  "  and  a  like  proportion  from  the  other  ships  volunteered,  but 
Lieutenant  Hobson,  decided  to  risk  as  few  lives  as  possible.  He  accordingly 
picked  three  men  from  the  "  New  York  "  and  three  from  the  "  Merrimac." 
The  latter  were  green  in  the  service,  but  they  knew  the  ship  and  pleaded  so 
hard  to  go,  that  they  were  accepted. 

Other  men,  selected  from  various  ships,  with  Ensign  Powell  in  command, 
manned  the  launch  of  the  "  New  York,"  which  was  to  lie  at  the  harbor 
mouth  and  take  off  those  who  might  escape  when  the  "  Merrimac  "  should 
be  blown  up  and  sunk. 

The  seven  men  who  were  to  risk  their  lives  in  the  "  Merrimac"  were  as 
cheerful  as  schoolboys  on  a  frolic,  despite  twenty-four  hours'  sleeplessness  and 
hard  work.     Coxswain  Deignan,  with  professional  pride, 
explained  the   several  stations  of  the  forlorn  hope  crew:       Preparations 
J.  E.  Murphy  was  to  cut  loose  the  forward  anchor  and       Awf°'j  u**  k 
Daniel  Montague    the   after   one,  and  they  were  then  to 
jump  overboard  and  swim  to  the  lifeboat  which  was  towing  astern.     Phil- 
lips, Kelly  and  Crank  were  to  stop  the  engines  and  knock  away  the  King- 
ston valves  to  flood  the  hold,  and  Lieutenant  Hobson  and  Charette  were  to 
fire  the  torpedos  from  the  bridge. 

Words  cannot  paint  the  cool,  matter-of-fact  heroism  of  these  enlisted 
men,  so  calmly  confident  of  success  in  their  audacious  undertaking,  so 
implicitly  trustful  in  their  young  lieutenant  who  was  to  lead  them,  so 
oblivious  of  everything  except  the  desperate  undertaking  in  which  they 
were  enthusiastically  anxious  to  engage.  They  did  not  speak  of  coming 


/30  THE   MOST   HEROIC   ACT  OF  THE  WAR. 

out,  with  the  exception  of  Deignan,  who  said  nonchalantly,  "  Oh,  I  guess  we 
stand  a  fair  show  of  getting  out,  but  they  can't  stop  us  going  in,"  this  last 
in  a  most  matter-of-fact  style,  as  though  going  in  was  the  only  point  worth 
considering.  So  it  was  to  them.  This  was  everyday  heroism,  heroism  in 
overalls,  black  with  oil  and  coal  dust  from  ankle  to  eyebrow. 

Lieutenant  Hobson,  despite  his  uniform,  was  almost  as  dirty  and  dis- 
hevelled as  his  men,  with  forty-eight  hours'  growth  of  beard,  eyes  sunken 
for  lack  of  food  and  sleep,  and  hands  as  black  as  a  coal  heaver's,  but  the 
hands  were  cool  and  firm  in  their  grasp,  as  though  he  were  going  on  parade 
and  nothing  could  dull  the  fire  of  those  sunken  hazel  eyes.  Reserved,  but 
courteous  even  to  gentleness,  he  talked  briefly  of  his  plans.  He  spoke  as 
his  men  had  spoken — of  going  in,  nothing  of  coming  back,  except  this,  just 
at  parting :  "  Now,  pardon  me,  but  in  case  you  gentlemen  write  about  this 
expedition,  please  don't  say  anything  individually  about  its  members  until 
you  know."  He  accented  the  last  word  and  the  inference  was  known — until 
you  know  we  are  dead,  would  have  filled  out  the  sentence. 

A  few  hours  before  the  departure  a  young  officer  from  the  "  Marblehead  " 
came  on  board  the  u  Merrimac  "  and  asked  : 

"  Shall  we  send  you  fellows  over  some  breakfast  ?  We  would  be  delighted 
and  can  do  it  just  as  well  as  not." 

"  Nevei  mind  about  the  breakfast,  old  man,"  responded  Lieutenant 
Hobson,  "  but  if  you  can  send  some  coffee  we  would  be  very  glad.  You  see 
we  are  swept  pretty  clean  here,  and  none  of  us  have  had  a  drop  of  coffee 
since  day  before  yesterday." 

It  was  a  trivial  incident,  but  coming  from  a  man  doomed  almost  to 
certain  death,  it  seemed  to  add  the  last  touch  of  the  pathetic  to  a  situation 
heartbreaking  enough  in  itself. 

Before  Hobson  set  the  old  collier  ship  towards  the  harbor  entrance,  he 
made  every  necessary  preparation  for  sinking  the  vessel  quickly  when  she 
should  be  brought  within  the  proper  position  for  effectively  obstructing  the 
channel.  The  "  Merrimac "  was  an  old,  almost  unseaworthy  craft,  fit  for 
little  service,  without  being  constantly  repaired,  but  she  was  bulky,  and 
composed  of  material  that  would  render  her  wreck  a  dangerous  menace  to 
ships  trying  to  pass  the  narrow  entrance.  To  destroy  her  quickly,  however, 
was  a  problem,  which  Hobson  prepared  to  solve  by  lashing  ten  powerful 
torpedoes  by  means  of  hog  chains  along  the  port  side  of  the  ship,  below  the 
water  line,  all  of  which  were  connected  by  electric  wire  to  be  fired  simul- 
taneously by  a  battery  located  on  the  bridge.  By  such  provision  it  was 
calculated  that  the  entire  port  side  might  be  torn  out  instantly,  and  by  open- 
ing the  sea  cocks  the  vessel  would  sink  in  about  one  minute.  Chances  of 


THE   MOST   HEROIC   ACT   OF   THE   WAR..  131 

I 

escape,  small  as  they  would  be,  were  taken  by  mooring  a  dingy  at  the  stern 
of  the  ship  into  which  the  men  were  to  lower  themselves,  in  case  any  of  them 
should  be  so  fortunate  as  to  survive  the  enemy's  fire  and  the  vessel's  explo- 
sion, a  contingency  which  seemed  extremely  remote. 

On  board  the  ships  of  the  fleet  picketed  about  the  entrance,  every  officer 
and  man,  with  many  warm  heart-beats  for  their  brave  comrades,  awaited  the 
issue  with   eyes  anxiously  fixed  on  the  jutting  headlands  that  marked  the 
entrance  of  the  harbor,  but  as  the  "  Merrimac  "  steamed 
forward  Admiral  Sampson,  pacing  the  deck  of  the  flagship,    Breathless  With 
looked  at  his  watch  and  at  the  streaks  in  the  east  and  u 

Watch  the  ue part- 
decided  that  the  "  Merrimac  "  could  not  reach  the  entrance  Ure. 

before  broad  daylight.  Consequently,  the  torpedo  boat 
"  Porter,"  which  was  alongside,  was  dispatched  to  recall  the  daring  officer. 
Lieutenant  Hobson  sent  back  a  protest,  with  a  request  for  permission  to 
proceed.  But  the  admiral  declined  to  allow  him  to  take  the  risk,  and  slowly 
the  u  Merrimac  "  swung  about  and  returned  to  her  anchorage.  When  the 
vessel  was  boarded  by  officers  from  the  "  New  York,"  discovery  was  made 
that  there  were  two  men  on  the  "  Merrimac  "  who  were  not  properly  detailed 
from  the  volunteers  for  the  daring  enterprise. 

They  were  Assistant  Engineer  Crank,  of  the  "  Merrimac,"  and  Boatswain 
Mullin,  of  the  "  New  York,"  who  had  been  working  on  the  collier  all  day. 
These  two  men  refused  to  leave  the  ship,  and,  as  their  disobedience  was  of  a 
nature  which  produced  Cushings  and  Farraguts  for  the  American  navy,  it 
was  not  officially  recognized.  The  spirit  shown  by  the  men  and  officers  of 
the  fleet  in  connection  with  the  "  Merrimac  "  expedition  was  really  grand 
and  beyond  being  expressed  in  words. 

During  the  day  Lieutenant  Hobson  went  aboard  the  flagship.  His  once 
white  duck  trousers  were  as  black  as  a  coal  heaver's,  his  old  fatigue  coat  was 
unbuttoned  and  his  begrimed  face  was  deep  furrowed  by  tense  drawn  lines, 
but  steady  resolution  still  shone  in  his  eyes.  So  absorbed  was  he  in  the  task 
ahead  of  him,  that  unmindful  of  his  appearance,  and  of  all  ceremony  and 
naval  etiquette,  he  told  the  Admiral  in  a  tone  of  command  that  he  must  not 
again  be  interfered  with. 

"  I  can  carry  this  thing  through,"  said  he,  "  but  there  must  be  no  more 
recalls.  My  men  have  been  keyed  up  for  twenty  four  hours  and  under  a 
tremendous  strain.  Iron  will  break  at  last."  Such  was  the  indomitable  will 
and  courage  with  which  he  faced  death  and  glory. 

When  Hobson  left  the  ship,  and  the  extended  hands  of  his  shipmates, 
more  than  one  of  the  latter  turned  hastily  to  hide  the  unbidden  tear.  But- 
the  lieutenant  waved  them  adieu  with  a  smile  on  his  handsome  face. 


1 32  THE   MOST   HEROIC  ACT   OF  THE  WAR. 

r 

The  "  Merrimac  "  made  her  second  start  shortly  after  three  o'clock  a.  m. 
The  full  moon  had  disappeared  behind  a  black  cloud  bank  in  the  west, 
leaving  only  a  gray  mark  of  heaving  waters  and  the  dim  outline  of  t,he 
Cuban  hills  showing  against  the  unstarred  sky  to  the  watchers  on  board  the 
ships  of  the  fleet.  It  was  that  calm  hour  before  dawn,  when  life  is  at  its 
lowest  ebb  and  the  tide  runs  out,  carrying  the  lives  of  mortals  with  it. 

Slowly  the  seconds  of  fate  ticked  on,  as  for  an  hour  three  thousand 
strained  eyes  strove  to  pierce  the  deep  veil  of  night. 

Suddenly  several  blood  red  tongues  of  flame  shot  down  from  the  rocky 

eminence  on  which  Morro  Castle  is  situated.     They  were  followed  by  jets 

and    streams   of  fire    from    the    batteries    opposite.      The 

"  Merrimac "    had    reached    the   entrance  of   the   harbor. 

Battle  6uns. 

She  must  have  passed  so  close  that  a  stone  loosened  from 
the  frowning  parapet  of  the  castle  would  have  fallen  on  her  deck. 

Into  the  murderous  hail  showered  down  on  her,  the  "  Merrimac  "  passed 
and  moved  on,  a  full  quarter  of  a  mile,  enfiladed  from  both  sides,  and  from 
the  rear  and  front  with  a  plunging  fire  from  the  batteries  that  surrounded 
her.  It  seems  a  miracle  that  her  apparently  riddled  hull  could  have  reached 
the  goal.  After  five  minutes  the  firing  ceased  and  all  became  dark  again. 

Then  among  the  watchers  of  the  fleet  arose  the  question  as  to  whether 
these  five  minutes  of  murder  had  left  grief-stricken  mothers  or  widows  or 
orphans.  Mother,  wife,  sister  or  sweetheart  might  even  then  be  dreaming 
of  her  loved  one,  all  unconscious  of  the  fact  that  the  object  of  her  dream 
was  earning  fame,  perhaps  with  his  life. 

During  the  next  half  hour,  while  the  fleet  silently  waited  in  suspense 
for  the  coming  of  the  day,  many  fingers  itched  at  the  lanyards  of  the  guns 
and  many  a  gunner's  mate  besought  permission  to  fire.  But  nothing  could 
be  done.  An  ill-directed  shot  might  kill  our  men,  possibly  struggling  in 
the  water  toward  the  open  sea. 

Meantime  the  tension  aboard  the  flagship  was  intense.  Ensign  Powell 
had  reported  that  he  had  clearly  seen  the  "Merrimac's  "  masts  sticking  up 
just  where  Hobson  hoped  to  sink  her,  but  of  the  heroes  who  had  penned 
the  Spaniards  in  there  was  not  a  sound  or  a  sign.  Rear-Admiral  Sampson 
said  he  believed  Hobson  would  have  a  fair  chance  to  escape  after  his  hazard- 
ous and  extremly  plucky  adventure,  which  he  felt  sure  had  been  successful. 
He  expressed  the  hope  that  all  those  brave  fellows  had  not  lost  their  lives. 
Under  such  circumstances,  no  one  can  imagine  the 
"  °  immense  feeling  of  satisfaction  experienced  when  it  became 

known  that  Hobson  and  the  crew  of  the  "  Merrimac  " 
were  safe.  Later  in  the  day  a  boat  with  a  white  flag  put  out  from  th« 


THE   MOST   HEROIC   ACT  OF  THE  WAR.  133 

harbor  and  Captain  Oviedo,  the  chief  of  staff  of  Admiral  Cervera,  boarded 
the  "  New  York  "  and  informed  the  admiral  that  the  whole  party  had  been 
captured  and  that  only  two  of  the  heroes  were  injured.  Lieutenant  Hobson 
was  not  hurt.  The  Spanish  admiral  was  so  struck  with  the  courage  of  the 
"  Merrimac's  "  crew  that  he  decided  to  inform  Admiral  Sampson  that  they 
had  not  lost  their  lives,  but  were  prisoners  of  war  and  could  be  exchanged. 
They  were  captured  and  sent  to  Santiago  under  guard,  previous  to  being 
transferred  to  Morro  Castle,  where  they  were  confined  until  exchanged  for 
Spanish  officers  one  month  later  (July  5). 

Particulars  of  the  escape  from  the  most  imminent  peril  were  not  fully 
learned  until  Hobson  and  his  men  returned  to  the  American  lines,  after  their 
exchange,  although  many  stories  were  told,  chiefly  based  on  Spanish  reports, 
all  alike  highly  creditable  to  the  almost  unparalleled  courage  of  the  heroic 
seven. 

When  the  torpedoes  were  exploded  by  Hobson  the  ship  was  so  rent 
that  she  dove  quickly  to  the  depths.  None  of  the  seven  men  were  injured, 
but  when  they  sought  the  dingy  they  found  it  had  been  shot  to  pieces  by 
the  terrific  fire  from  the  shore  batteries.  The  only  means  at  hand  for  escape 
now  lay  in  a  catamaran  carried  on  the  deck,  which  was  hastily  cast  over- 
board, and  the  men  jumped  after  it  as  the  ship  sank  beneath  them.  The 
Spaniards  continued  their  fire  for  a  few  minutes  after  the  seven  heroes  had 
mounted  the  raft,  and  balls  of  many  calibres  fell  about  them  like  hail,  but 
Providence  guarded  their  precious  lives.  The  Spanish  officers  were  so 
amazed  by  such  astonishing  daring  that  with  chivalrous  spirit  they  ordered 
the  firing  to  cease  and  even  sent  boats  to  help  the  men  ashore,  where  they 
were  received  by  the  enemy  with  a  magnanimous  welcome,  and  as  prisoners 
were  accorded  the  most  generous  treatment. 

The  names  and  antecedents  of  the  gallant  sailors  who  composed  the 
crew  that  with  Hobson  defied  the  very  jaws  of  death,  deserve  to  be  imperish- 
ably  remembered  by  a  grateful  country.  They  were  : 

George  Charette,  first-class  gunner's  mate  on  the  "  New  York  ";  born  in 
Lowell,  Mass.,  twenty-nine  years  of  age;  last  enlistment  May  20,  1898;  has 
been  in  the  service  since  1884  ;  his  next  of  kin  is  Alexander  Charette,  father, 
Lowell,  Mass. 

Osborne  Deignan,  coxswain  on  the  "Merrimac";  born  in  Stuart,  la., 
twenty-one  years  old;  last  enlistment  April  22,  1898;  next  of  kin,  Julia 
Deignan,  mother,  Stuart,  la. 

George  F.  Phillips,  machinist  on  the  "Merrimac";  born  in  Boston, 
thirty-four  years  old  ;  last  enlistment  March  30,  1898 ;  next  of  kin,  Andrew 
Phillips,  Cambridgeport,  Mass. 


134  HOW   HOBSON   AND   HIS   MEN   WERE   SAVED   BY  CERVERA. 

Francis  Kelly,  water-tender  on  the  "  Merritnac  ";  born  in  Boston,  twenty, 
eight  years  of  age  ;  enlisted  at  Norfolk,  April  21,  last ;  next  of  kin,  Francis 
Kelly,  Boston. 

Randolph  Clausen,  coxswain  on  the  "  New  York  ";  born  in  Boston  and 
twenty-eight  years  of  age;  last  enlistment  February  .25,  1897  ;  next  of  kin, 
Terresa  Clausen,  wife,  127  Cherry  street,  New  York. 

Daniel  Montague,  seaman,  of  the  armored  cruiser  "  Brooklyn." 

John  C.  Murphy,  coxswain,  of  the  battleship  "  Iowa." 


HOW  HOBSON  AND  HIS  MEN  WERE  SAVED  BY  CERVERA. 


Thrilling  Narrative  of  the  Hero  of  Events  Immediately  Following  the 
Sinking  of  the  "Merrimac." 

BY 


IT  was  dark  when  we  started  in  toward  the  strait,  and  it  was  darker  when 
we  got  the  ship  into  position.  We  all  knew  that  we  were  taking  des- 
perate chances,  and  in  order  to  be  unencumbered  when  we  got  into  the 
water,  we  stripped  down  to  our  underclothing. 

The  ship  gave  a  heave  when  the  charges  exploded,  and  as  she  sank 
with  a  lurch  at  the  bow  we  got  over  her  sides.  That  we  got  into  the  water 
is  nearly  all  we  know  of  what  happened  in  that  rather  brief  period.  Some 
sprang  over  the  ship's  side,  but  more  than  one  of  us  was  thrown  over  the 
rail  by  the  shock  and  the  lurching  of  the  ship. 

It  was  our  plan  to  escape  on  a  catamaran  float  which  lay  on  the  roof 

of  the  midship  house.     One  of  the  greatest  dangers  of  the  thing  was  that 

of  being  caught  in  the  suction  made  by  the  ship  as  she 

The  Plan  of  Escape. 

went  down,  so  we  tied  the  float  to  the  taffrail,  giving  it 
slack  line  enough,  as  we  thought,  to  let  it  float  loose  after  the  ship  had 
settled  into  her  resting  place. 

I  swam  away  from  the  ship  as  soon  as  I  struck  the  water,  but  I  could 
feel  the  eddies  drawing  me  backward  in  spite  of  all  I  could  do.  That  did 
not  last  very  long,  however,  and  as  soon  as  I  felt  the  tugging  ease  I  turned 


HOW   HOBSON  AND  HIS   MEN  WERE  SAVED  BY  CERVERA.  135 

and  struck  out  for  the  float,  which  I  could  see  dimly  bobbing  up  and  down 
over  the  sunken  hull. 

The  "  Merrimac's  "  masts  were  plainly  visible,  and  I  could  see  the  heads 
of  my  seven  men  as  they  followed  my  example  and  made  for  the  float  also. 
We  had  expected,  of  course,  that  the  Spaniards  would  investigate  the  wreck, 
but  we  had  no  idea  they  would  be  at  it  so  quickly  as  they  were. 

Before  we  could  get  to  the  float  several  rowboats  and  launches  came 
around  the  bluff  from  inside  the  harbor.  They  had  officers  on  board  and 
armed  marines  as  well,  and  they  searched  that  passage,  rowing  backward 
and  forward  until  the  next  morning.  It  was  only  by  good  luck  that  we  got 
to  the  float  at  all,  for  they  were  upon  us  so  quickly  that  we  had  barely  con- 
cealed ourselves  when  a  boat  with  quite  a  large  party  on  board  was  right 
beside  us. 

Unfortunately  we  thought  then,  but  it  turned  out  afterward  that  nothing 
more  fortunate  than  that  could  have  happened  for  us,  the 


rope  with  which  we  had  secured  the  float  to  the  ship  was  11 


too  short  to  allow  it  to  swing  free,  and  when  we  reached  it 

we  found  that  one  of  the  pontoons  was  entirely  out  of  the  water  and  the  other 

one  was  submerged. 

Had  the  raft  lain  flat  on  the  water  we  could  not  have  got  under  it  and' 
would  have  had  to  climb  up  on  it,  to  be  an  excellent  target  for  the  first  party 
of  marines  that  arrived.  As  it  was,  we  could  get  under  the  raft,  and  by 
putting  our  hands  through  the  crevices  between  the  slats  which  formed  its 
deck  we  could  hold  our  heads  out  of  water,  and  still  be  unseen.  That  is 
what  we  did,  and  all  night  long  we  stayed  there  with  our  noses  and  mouths 
barely  tmt  of  water. 

None  of  us  expected  to  get  out  of  the  affair  alive,  but  luckily  the 
Spaniards  did  not  think  of  the  apparently  damaged,  half-sunken  raft  floating 
about  beside  the  wreck.  They  came  within  a  cable's  length  of  us  at  intervals 
of  only  a  few  minutes  all  night.  We  could  hear  their  words  distinctly,  and 
even  in  the  darkness  could  distinguish  an  occasional  slint  of  light  on  the 
rifle  barrels  of  the  marines  and  on  the  lace  of  the  officers'  uniforms. 

We  were  afraid  to  speak  above  a  whisper,  and  for  a  good  while,  in  fact 
whenever  they  were  near  us,  we  breathed  as  easily  as  we  could.  I  ordered 
my  men  not  to  speak  unless  to  address  me,  and  with  one  exception  they 
obeyed. 

After  we  had  been  there  an  hour  or  two  the  water,  which  we  found 
rather  warm  at  first,  began  to  get  cold,  and  my  fingers  ached  where  the 
wood  was  pressing  into  them.  The  clouds,  which  were  running  before  a 
pretty  stiff  breeze  when  we  went  in,  blew  over,  and  then  by  the  starlight  we 


136  HOW   HOBSON   AND   HIS    MEN   WERE  SAVED   BY  CERVERA. 

could  see  the  boats  when  they  canie  out  of  the  shadows  of  the  cliffs  on  either 
side,  and  even  when  we  could  not  see  them  we  knew  that  they  were  still 
near,  because  we  could  hear  very  plainly  the  splash  of  the  oars  and  the 
grinding  of  the  oarlocks. 

Our  teeth  began  to  chatter  before  very  long,  and  I  was  in  constant  fear 
that  the  Spaniards  would  hear  us  when  they  came  close.     It  was  so  still  then 
that  the  chattering  sound  seemed  to  us  as  loud  as  a  ham- 
Noisy  Teeth        mer,  but  the  Spaniards'    ears  were  not  sharp  enough  to 

Chattering.          hear  it. 

We  could  hear  sounds  from  the  shore  almost  as  dis- 
tinctly as  if  we  had  been  there,  we  were  so  close  to  the  surface  of  the  water, 
which  is  an  excellent  conductor,  and  the  voices  of  the  men  in  the  boats 
sounded  as  clear  as  a  bell.  My  men  tried  to  keep  their  teeth  still,  but  it  was 
hard  work,  and  not  attended  with  any  great  success  at  the  best. 

We  all  knew  that  we  would  be  shot  if  discovered  by  an  ordinary  seaman 
or  a  marine,  and  I  ordered  my  men  not  to  stir,  as  the  boats  having  officers  on 
board  kept  well  in  the  distance.  One  of  my  men  disobeyed  orders  and 
started  to  swim  ashore,  and  I  had  to  call  him  back.  He  obeyed  at  once,  but 
my  voice  seemed  to  create  some  commotion  among  the  boats,  and  several  of 
them  appeared  close  beside  us  before  the  disturbance  in  the  water  made  by 
the  man  swimming  had  subsided.  We  thought  it  was  all  up  with  us  then, 
but  the  boats  went  away  into  the  shadows  again. 

There  was  much  speculation  among  the  Spaniards  as  to  what  the  ship 
was  and  what  we  intended  to  do  next.  I  could  understand  many  of  the 
words,  and  gathered  from  what  I  heard  that  the  officers  had  taken  in  the 
situation  at  once,  but  were  astounded  at  the  audacity  of  the  thing.*  The 
boats,  I  also  learned,  were  from  the  fleet,  and  I  felt  better,  because  I  had 
more  faith  in  a  $panish  sailor  than  I  had  in  a  Spanish  soldier. 

When  daylight  came  a  steam  launch  full  of  officers  and  marines  came 
out  from  behind  the  cliff  that  hid  the  fleet  and  harbor  and  advanced  toward 
us.  All  the  men  on  board  were  looking  curiously  in  our  direction.  They 
did  not  see  us.  Knowing  that  some  one  of  rank  must  be  on  board,  I  waited 
until  the  launch  was  quite  close  and  hailed  her. 

My  voice  produced  the  utmost  consternation  on  board.  Every  one 
sprang  up,  the  marines  crowded  to  the  bow  and  the  launch's  engines  were 
reversed.  She  not  only  stopped,  but  she  backed  off  until  nearly  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  away,  where  she  stayed.  The  marines  stood  ready  to  fire  at  the 
word  of  command,  when  we  clambered  out  from  under  the  float.  There 
were  ten  of  the  marines,  and  they  would  have  fired  in  a  minute  had  they 
not  been  restrained. 


HOW   HOBSON   AND    HIS    MEN  WERE   SAVED  BY  CERVERA.  137 

I  swam  toward  the  launch,  and   then  she  started  toward  me.     I  called 
out  in  Spanish  :     "  Is  there  an  officer  on  board  ?  "     An  officer  answered  in 
the  affirmative ,  and  then  I  shouted  in  Spanish  again  :    "  I 
have  seven  men  to  surrender.^'     I  continued  swimming,  Rescued  by 

and  when  I  reached  the  side  of  the  launch  I  was  seized  Admiral  Cervera. 
and  pulled  out  of  the  water. 

As  I  looked  up  when  they  were  dragging  me  into  the  launch,  I  saw 
that  it  was  Admiral  Cervera  himself  who  had  hold  of  me.  He  looked  at 
me  rather  dubiously  at  first,  because  I  had  been  down  in  the  engine-room  of 
the  "  Merrimac,"  where  I  got  covered  with  oil,  and  that,  with  the  soot  and 
coal  dust,  made  my  appearance  most  disreputable.  I  had  put  on  my  officer's 
belt  before  sinking  the  "  Merrimac,"  as  a  means  of  identification,  no  matter 
what  happened  to  me,  and  when  I  pointed  to  it  in  the  launch  the  admiral 
understood  and  seemed  satisfied. 

The  first  words  he  said  to  me  when  he  learned  who  I  was  were  "  Blen- 
venido  sea  usted,"  which  means,  "  You  are  welcome."  My  treatment  by  the 
naval  officers  and  that  of  my  men  also  was  courteous  all  the  time  that  I  was 
a  prisoner.  They  heard  my  story,  as  much  of  it  as  I  could  tell,  but  sought 
to  learn  nothing  more. 

My  men  were  rescued  from  the  float  and  taken  to  the  shore  and  we  were 
all  placed  in  a  cell  in  Morro  Castle.  I  asked  permission  to  send  a  note  to 
Admiral  Sampson  and  wrote  it,  but  when  Admiral  Cervera  learned  of  it  he 
came  to  me  and  said  that  General  Linares  would  not  permit  me  to  send  it. 

The  admiral  seemed  greatly  worried,  but  it  was  not  until  a  day  or  two 
later  that  I  learned  what  was  on  his  mind.  That  same  day  he  said  he 
would  send  a  boat  to  the  fleet  to  get  clothes  for  us,  and  that  the  men  who 
went  in  the  boat  could  tell  Admiral  Sampson  that  we  were  safe. 

I  learned  later  that  General  Linares  was  inclined  to  be  ugly,  and  that 
Admiral  Cervera  wished  to  get  word  to  our  fleet  as  soon  as  possible  that  we 
were  safe,  knowing  then  that  General  Linares  would  learn  that  the  fleet 
knew  it,  and  he  would  not  dare  to  harm  us. 

When  we  were  first  placed  in  Morro  the  solid  doors  to  our  cells  were 
kept  closed   for  an  hour  or  two,  but  when  we  objected  to  that  the  admiral 
ordered  that  they  be  thrown  open.     Then  we  had  a  view 
of  Santiago  harbor,  the  city  and  the  Spanish  fleet.     All      ,N°  c°urtesy 

from  Linares. 

the  officers  of  the  army  and  fleet  called  on  us  that  day,  and 

their  treatment  of  us  was  most  considerate  and  courteous.  General  Linares 
did  not  call,  but  sent  word  that  as  all  the  others  had  called,  he  thought  that 
a  visit  from  him  was  not  included  in  his  duties.  I  do.  not  know  what  he 
meant  by  that,  but  am  sure  that  we  do  not  owe  our  safety  to  him. 


138  HOW   HOBSON    AND   HIS   MEN  WERE   SAVED    HV    CEKVEfcA. 

We  were  still  in  Morro  Castle  when  Admiral  Sampson's  fleet  bombarded 
Santiago.  The  windows  in  the  side  of  our  cell  opened  west  across  the  har- 
bor entrance,  and  we  could  hear  and  see  the  shells  as  they  struck.  We  knew 
that  we  would  not  be  fired  upon,  as  word  had  gone  out  as  to  where  we  were, 
so  we  sat  at  the  window  and  watched  the  shells.  Each  one  sung  a  different 
tune  as  it  went  by.  The  smaller  shells  moaned  or  screeched  as  they  passed, 
but  the  thirteen-inch  shells  left  a  sound  behind  them  like  that  of  a  sudden 
and  continued  smashing  of  a  huge  pane  of  glass. 

The  crackling  was  sharp  and  metallic,  something  like  sharp  thunder 
without  the  roar,  and  the  sound  continued,  but  decreased  after  the  shell  had 
gone.  In  many  cases  the  shells  struck  projecting  points  of  rock,  and  rico- 
cheting, spun  end  over  end  across  the  hills.  The  sound  they  made  as  they 
struck  again  and  again  was  like  the  short,  sharp  puff  of  a  locomotive  start- 
ing with  a  heav)  train. 

We  were  in  Morro  Castle  four  days,  and  only  once  did 
I  feel  alarmed.     The  day  before  we  were  taken  into  the 

to  Cervera. 

city  of  Santiago  I  saw  a  small  boat  start  from  the  harbor 
with  a  flag  of  truce  up.  When  I  asked  one  of  the  sentries  what  it  meant 
I  was  told  that  the  boat  had  gone  out  to  tell  our  fleet  that  my  men  and  I  had 
already  been  taken  into  the  city.  Then  I  feared  that  Morro  would  be  bom- 
barded at  once,  and  believed  it  a  scheme  got  up  by  General  Linares  to  end 
us.  We  were  taken  to  the  city  the  next  day,  and  were  safe,  anyway,  then. 

In  the  city  we  were  treated  with  the  same  consideration  by  the  naval 
officers  and  the  army  officers,  with  the  exception  of  General  Linares,  which 
we  got  on  the  day  of  our  capture.  I  believe  that  we  owe  to  Admiral  Cer- 
vera our  exchange,  and  a  great  deal  more  in  the  way  of  good  treatment  that 
we  would  not  otherwise  have  received.  General  Linares  had  no  good  blood 
for  us,  nor  did  the  soldiers  and  marines,  who  would  have  shot  us  on  sight  the 
night  that  we  went  into  the  harbor. 


TTloTTO  -  Coptic.     Havana.  Cubit. 


WAITING  TO   RESCUE   HOBSON.  199 


WAITING  TO  RESCUE  HOBSON. 


Ensign  Powell's  Efforts  to  Succor  the  Heroes. 

HOBSON 'S  desperate  plan  to  block  the  entrance  to  Santiago  harbor, 
by  sinking  the  "  Merrimac  "  in  the  channel,  became  known  to  the 
crews  of  the  blockading  fleet  almost  as  soon  -  as  the  perilous  enter- 
prise was  decided  upon.  Only  Hobson  and  his  seven  compatriots 
were  permitted  to  proceed  upon  this  extra  hazardous  undertaking,  but  there 
was  at  least  one  other  who  resolved  to  share  the  dangers,  and  to  offer  such 
assistance  as  the  exigencies  and  results  of  the  exploit  might  permit.  At 
his  urgent  entreaty,  George  W.  Powell,  an  ensign  on  the  flagship  "  New 
York,"  was  given  permission  to  take  the  ship's  steam  launch,  and  with  five 
equally  courageous  men  they  followed  the  "Merrimac"  as  far  as  practicable 
and  then  at  sunset  took  position  beyond  the  line  of  blockade,  and  waited  the 
approach  of  darkness. 

Suddenly  a  dazzling  flash,  like  a  heliograph  leaped  from  the  battlements 
followed  by  a  slow  spreading  cloud  of  white  smoke.  There  was  no  report, 
but  far  up  the  coast  a  white  jet  of  spray  leaped  from  the  sea. 

The  spraying  shellsTose  everywhere,  beyond  the  "  Brooklyn  "  and  inside 
the  "  Texas,"  but  the  fire  was  seemingly  concentrated  westward,  close  to 
the  shore.  There  a  tiny  thread  of  smoke  disclosed  their  target,  the  "  New 
York's"  launch,  which  Ensign  Powell  had  gallantly  held  close  under  Morro's 
walls  until  after  daylight,  when,  driven  out  by  the  fire  of  the  big  guns,  he 
had  run  far  up  the  shore,  under  the  partial  cover  of  the  bluffs,  and  had 
turned  and  eventually  boarded  the  "  Texas  "  out  of  range.  Then  he  passed 
to  the  "  New  York."  The  brave  fellow  was  broken-hearted  at  not  finding 
Hobson  and  his  men. 

Lying  closer  in  than  the  warships,  Powell  had  seen  the  firing  before 
daylight,  when  the  "  Merrimac  "  and  her  dare-devil  crew,  then  well  inside 
Morro  Castle,  were  probably  first  discovered  by  the  Spaniards.  He  also  heard 
an  explosion,  which  may  have  been  caused  by  Hobson's  torpedoes.  The 
ensign  was  not  sure.  He  waited,  vainly  hoping  to  rescue  the  heroes  of  the 
"  Merrimac,"  until  he  was  shelled  out  by  the  forts. 

The  fleet,  seeing  the  launch  return,  crowded  close  in  shore  to  learn  the 
news,  and,  learning  it,  went  in  closer  still,  hoping  to  draw  the  Spanish  fire, 
but  the  forts  remained  silent.  Inside  the  hills,  enclosing  the  harbor,  could 


I4c  WAITING  TO   RESCUE   HOBSON. 

be  seen  a  dense  column  of  moving  smoke,  as  at  least  one  Spanish  vessel 
moved  down  the  tortuous  channel  to  the  harbor's  mouth.  She  did  not 
show  beyond  Cayo  Smith  while  the  "  Dauntless  "  remained  in  sight.  Beyond 
that  her  way  was  blocked  by  the  "  Merrimac's  "  hulk,  sunk  just  where  Hob- 
son  promised,  crosswise  of  the  narrow  channel. 

Ensign  Powell  tells  the  following  thrilling  story  of  his  dangerous  vigil 
for  Hobson's  heroes  : 

"  After  leaving  the  '  Texas '  I  saw  the  '  Merrimac  '  steaming  slowly  in. 

It  was  only  fairly  dark  then  and  the  shore  was  quite  visible.     We  followed 

about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  astern.    jThe  "  Merrimac  "  stood  about  a  mile 

to  the  westward  of  the  harbor  and  seemed  a  bit   mixed, 

Under  the         turning  completely  around  :    finally  heading  to  the  east, 

Grim  Batteries 

of  the  Morro.  sne  ran  down  and  then  turned  in.  We  were  then  chasing 
him  because  I  thought  Hobson  had  lost  his  bearings. 
When  Hobson  was  about  two  hundred  yards  from  the  harbor  the  first  gun 
was  fired  from  the  eastern  bluff.  We  were  then  half  a  mile  off  shore,  close 
under  the  batteries.  The  firing  increased  rapidly.  We  steamed  in  slowly 
and  lost  sight  of  the  '  Merrimac '  in  the  smoke  which  the  wind  carried  off 
shore.  It  hung  heavily.  Before  Hobson  could  have  blown  up  the  '  Merri- 
mac '  the  western  battery  picked  us  up  and  commenced  firing.  They  shot 
wild  and  we  ran  in  still  closer  to  the  shore  and  the  gunners  lost  sight  of  us. 
Then  we  heard  the  explosion  of  the  torpedoes  on  the  '  Merrimac.' 

"  Until  daylight  we  waited  just  outside  the  breakers,  half  a  mile  to  the 
westward  of  Morro,  keeping  a  bright  outlook  for  the  boat  or  for  swimmers, 
but  we  saw  nothing.  Hobson  had  arranged  to  meet  us  at  that  point,  but, 
thinking  that  some  one  might  have  drifted  out,  we  crossed  in  front  of  Morro 
and  the  mouth  of  the  harbor  to  the  eastward.  About  five  o'clock  we  crossed 
the  harbor  again  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  and  stood  to  the  westward.  In 
passing  we  saw  one  spar  of  the  '  Merrimac '  sticking  out  of  the  water.  We 
hugged  the  shore  just  outside  of  the  breakers  for  a  mile  and  then  turned 
toward  the  *  Texas,'  when  the  batteries  saw  us  and  opened  fire. 

"  It  was  then  broad  daylight.  The  first  shot  fired  dropped  thirty  yards 
astern,  but  the  other  shots  went  wild.  I  drove  the  launch  for  all  she  was 
worth,  finally  making  the  '  New  York '  without  our  boat  or  crew  having 
received  a  scratch." 


SINKING   OF   THE    "  MERRIMAC."  141 

SINKING  OF  THE  "MERRIMAC"  UNDER  A  FUSILADE  OF 

SPANISH  GUNS. 


(Assistant  Naval  Constructor.) 

THE  story  of  how  the  collier  "  Merrimac  "  was  sunk  at  the  entrance 
to  Santiago  harbor  on  the  night  of  June  3,  1898,  has  been  told  by 
me  in  another  article,  but  so  many  interesting  incidents  character- 
ize the  act  that  many  accounts  may  be  written  without  tedious 
iteration,  or  the  dullness  of  repetition. 

When  our  preparations  were  completed  for  entering  upon  our  perilous 
undertaking  I  started  the  "  Merrimac  "  upon  a  due  east  course  until  I  got 
my  bearings  and  then  headed  straight  for  the  harbor.  As  we  approached 
the  mouth,  moving  at  a  ten  knot  speed,  the  Spanish  batteries  opened  a 
terrific  fire.  It  was  grand,  flashing  out  first  from  one  side  of  the  harbor  and 
then  from  the  other,  from  those  big  guns  on  the  hills,  the  "  Vizcaya,"  lying 
inside  the  harbor,  joining  in. 

Troops  from  Santiago  had  rushed  down  when  the  news  of  the  u  Merri- 
mac's  "  coming  was  telegraphed,  and  soon  lined  the  foot  of  the  cliffs,  shoot- 
ing wildly  across  and  killing  each  other  with  the  cross  fire.  Tht  "  Merri- 
mac's  "  steering  gear  broke  as  she  got  to  Estrella  Point. 

Only  three  of  the  ten  torpedos  on  her  side  exploded  when  I  touched 
the  button.     A   huge    submarine   mine   caught   her   full 
amidships,  hurling  the  water  high  in  the  air  and  tearing      '  ^' 


a  great  rent  in  the  "  Merrimac's  "  side.  Her  stern  ran  upon 
Estrella  Point.  Chiefly  owing  to  the  work  done  by  the  mine  she  began  to 
sink  slowly.  At  that  time  she  was  across  the  channel,  but  before  she  settled 
the  tide  drifted  her  around.  We  were  all  aft,  lying  on  the  deck.  Shells  and 
bullets  whistled  around.  Six-inch  shells  from  the  "  Vizcaya  "  came  tearing 
into  the  "  Merrimac,"  crashing  into  wood  and  iron  and  passing  clear  through, 
while  the  plunging  shots  from  the  fort  broke  through  her  decks. 

"  No  man  must  move,"  I  said,  and  it  was  owing  only  to  the  splendid 
discipline  of  the  men  that  we  all  were  not  Jkilled,  as  the  shells  rained  over 
us  and  minutes  became  hours  of  suspense.  The  men's  mouths  grew 
parched,  but  we  must  lie  there  till  daylight,  I  told  them*  ,  Now  and  again, 


142  SINKING   OF  THE   "  MERRIMAC," 

one  or  the  other  of  the  men  lying  with  his  face  glued  to  the  deck  and  won- 
dering whether  the  next  shell  would  not  come  our  way  would  say  :  '  Hadn't 
we  better  dropoff  now,  sir?"  but  I  said  :  "Wait  till  daylight." 

It  would  have  been  impossible  to  get  the  catamaran  anywhere  but  to 
the  shore,  where  the  soldiers  stood  shooting,  and  I  hoped  that  by  daylight 

we   might   be   recognized   and   saved.      The    grand  .old 
1 'under  F>  *  *    "  Merrimac  "  kept  sinking.     I  wanted  to  go  forward  and 

see  the  damage  done  there,  where  nearly  all  the  fire  was 
directed,  but  one  man  said  that  if  I  rose  it  would  draw  all  the  fire  on  the 
rest.  So  I  lay  motionless.  It  was  splendid  the  way  these  men  behaved. 
The  fire  of  the  soldiers,  the  batteries  and  the  "  Vizcaya"  was  awful.  When 
the  water  came  up  on  the  "  Merrimac's  "  decks,  the  catamaran  floated  amid 
the  wreckage,  but  she  was  still  made  fast  to  the  boom,  and  we  caught  hold 
of  the  edge  and  clung  on,  our  heads  only  being  above  water.  One  man 
thought  we  were  safer  right  there.  It  was  quite  light.  The  firing  had  ceased 
except  that  on  the  "  New  York  "  launch,  and  I  feared  Ensign  Powell  and 
his  men  had  been  killed. 

A  Spanish  launch  came  toward  the  "  Merrimac."  We  agreed  to  capture 
her  and  run.  Just  as  it  came  close  the  Spaniards  saw  us,  and  half  a  dozen 
marines  jumped  up  and  pointed  their  rifles  at  our  Beads.  "  Is  there  any 
officer  in  that  boat  to  receive  a  surrender  of  prisoners  of  war  ?  "  I  shouted. 
An  old  man  leaned  out  under  the  awning  and  waved  his  hand.  It  was 
Admiral  Cervera.  The  marines  lowered  their  rifles  and  we  were  helped  into 
the  launch.  Then  we  were  taken  ashore  and  put  in  cells  in  Morro  Castle. 

It  was  a  grand  sight  a  few  days  later  to  see  the  bombard- 
witnessed  Two  t  th      hellg  striking  and  bursting  around  El   Morro. 

Great  Attacks. 

Then  we  were  taken  into  Santiago.  I  had  the  court- 
martial  room  in  the  barracks.  My  men  were  kept  prisoners  in  the  hospital. 
From  my  window  I  could  see  the  army  moving,  and  it  was  terrible  to 
watch  those  poor  lads  charging  across  the  open,  and  being  shot  down  by  the 
Spaniards  in  the  rifle  pits  in  front  of  me. 

On  July  5, 1  knew  something  was  coming,  which  to  our  joy  proved  to  be 
preparations  for  our  exchange,  which  was  made  on  the  following  day. 


THK   GRKAT  SKA   BATTLES   OUR   NAVY   HAS   WON.          143 


THE  GREAT  SEA  BATTLES  OUR  NAVY  HAS  WON. 


And  the  Honors  the  Nation  Bestowed  on  the  Victors. 

BY  J.  W.  BUEL, 

SCHLEY,  Hobson,  Sampson,  Wainwright,  Evans,  Philips,  Sigsbee,  and 
others  of  the  returned  naval  heroes,  have  been  made  the  recipients 
of  unconfined  demonstrations  and   magnificent  ovations  from  their 
grateful  and  admiring  countrymen,  and  when  Dewey  reaches  Ameri- 
can shores  he  will  have  such  a  welcome  as  was  probably  never  accorded  any 
officer  who  has  carried  Old  Glory  to  victory  on  the  sea.     But  it  has  ever  been 
characteristic  of  Americans  to  appreciate  the  gallantry  and  sacrifices  of  their 
soldiers  and  sailors,  by  according  them  enthusiastic  reception  and  unbounded 
praise.     Some  notable  examples  of  popular  outpouring  and  generous  feting 
in  honor  of  the  heroes  who  commanded  our  ships  are  of  particular  interest 
at  this  time,  as  historical  precedents  for  our  enthusiastic  admiration  for  the 
heroes  of  the  Spanish-American  war. 

One  of  the  greatest  sea  captains  our  country  has  produced  was  Commo- 
dore Isaac  Hull,  who  commanded  the  frigate  "  Constitution,"  in  the  war  of 
1812.  Hull's  great  achievement  was  the  capture  of  the  "  Guerriere,"  on 
the  i9th  of  August,  1812,  off  Nova  Scotia.  He  sighted  the  "Guerriere" 
on  the  afternoon  of  that  day,  and  began  firing  at  long  range.  At  six  o'clock, 
Hull,  observing  a  willingness  on  the  part  of  his  antagonists  to  have  a  fair 
yard-arm  and  yard-arm  fight  pressed  all  sail  on  the  "  Constitution  "  to  get 
alongside  of  the  "  Guerriere."  He  walked  the  quarter  deck,  watching  the 
movements  of  the  enemy  with  keen  interest.  He  was  fat  and  wore  very 
tight  breeches. 

When  the  "  Guerriere  "  began  to  pour  shot  into  the  "  Constitution,"  Lieu- 
tenant Morris,  Hull's  second  in  command,  asked,  "Shall  I  open  fire?"  The 
commander  replied  quietly,  "  Not  yet."  As  the  shots  began  to  tell  seriously 
on  the  "  Constitution  "  the  question  was  repeated.  "  Not  yet,"  Hull  quietly 
answered.  When  the  two  vessels  were  in  pistol  shot  of  each  other  Hull  bent 
himself  double  and  shouted,  "  Now,  boys,  pour  it  into  them  !"  The  battle 
was  fought  at  close  range,  and  so  desperately  that  the  deadly  fire  of  our 
gunners  soon  riddled  the  sides  and  decks  of  the  "  Guerriere,"  killing  h^n 
yt  her  men  and  compelling  an  unconditional  surrender. 


144         THE  GREAT  SEA   BATTLES  OUR   NAVY   HAS  WON. 

The  "  Constitution "  bore  the  news  of  her   own   victory  into  Boston. 

Hull  was  received  in  that  city  with  enthusiasm  that  was  unbounded  and 

that  rendered  to  the  victor   extraordinary  honors.     The 

How  Hull  was      peopie  of  Boston  gave  Hull  and  his  officers  a  banquet,  at 
Received. 

which  six  hundred  citizens  sat  down.     The  authorities  of 

New  York  city  voted  him  the  freedom  of  that  city  in  a  gold  box,  and  every 
place  he  visited  the  people  turned  out  en  masse  to  welcome  him.  The 
citizens  of  Philadelphia  presented  him  an  elegant  piece  of  plate,  and  Con- 
gress awarded  him  a  gold  medal  and  appropriated  $50,000  to  be  distributed 
as  prize  money  among  the  officers  and  crew  of  the  "  Constitution." 

Captain  William  Bainbridge,  who  succeeded  Hull  in  command  of  the 
"  Constitution,"  was  likewise  honored  by  the  city  of  New  York  for  the 
brilliant  victory  he  achieved  December  29,  1812,  over  the  British  frigate 
"Java,"  Captain  Lambert  commanding,  one  of  the  finest  vessels  of  her  class 
in  the  Royal  Navy.  About  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  two  ships 
joined  in  battle,  which  continued  between  two  and  three  hours.  The  "Java  " 
tried  to  run  down  on  the  "  Constitution's  "  quarter  to  engage  in  close 
action,  but  failed  to  successfully  carry  out  the  manoeuvre.  As  she  turned 
the  "  Constitution  "  poured  a  raking  broadside  into  the  stern  of  her  enemy, 
and  very  soon  the  two  vessels  laid  broadside  to  broadside  engaged  in  deadly 
conflict.  The  mizzenmast  of  the  "Java"  was  shot  away,  and  nothing  was 
left  standing  but  her  mainmast,  with  its  yard  carried  away.  Her  firing 
ceased  and  her  captain  ordered  her  colors  to  be  hauled  down. 

After  the  surrender  it  was  found  that  the  "Java  "  had  lost  one  hundred 
killed,  including  her  commander,  and  two  hundred  wounded,  and  the  ship 
was  so  badly  injured  that  finding  it  impossible  to  take  her  into  port,  Captain 
Bainbridge  ordered  her  to  be  blown  up.  The  loss  of  the  "  Constitution  " 
was  only  thirty-four.  Captain  Bainbridge's  victory  was  the  fourth  brilliant 
success  over  the  British  won  by  the  American  Navy  in  the  space  of  five 
months. 

Bainbridge  was  the  hero  of  the  hour.  Praises  were  lavished  upon  him 
from  all  quarters.  New  York  and  Albany  led  the  van  by  each  presenting 
him  with  the  freedom  of  the  city  in  a  gold  box.  Banquets 
'  "R"  't'  "  RC  *  an^  receptions  were  prepared  for  him,  and  he  had  all  he 
could  do  to  keep  pace  with  the  large  generosity  of  his 
myriad  friends.  The  citizens  of  Philadelphia  presented  him  with  a  hand- 
some service  of  plate,  and  Congress  voted  him  a  gold  medal  and  also  $50,000 
as  prize  money  for  himself  and  his  companions. 

Going  back  a  little,  to  the  year  of  1799,  we  find  that  the  world  at  that 
time  rang  with  the  praises  of  Commodore  Truxton,  who,  while  in  command 


THE  GREAT  SEA  BATTLES  OUR  NAVY  HAS  WON.    145 

of  the  frigate  "  Constellation,"  fell  in  with  and  captured  the  famous  French 
frigate  "  L'Insurgente,"  of  forty-four  guns  and  409  men,  off  the  island  of 
Nevis,  in  the  West  Indies. 

For  this  victory  Truxton  not  only  received  the  praises  of  his  own 
countrymen,  but  the  English  press  teemed  with  eulogies  of  him.  Many 
congratulatory  addresses  were  sent  to  him,  and  the  merchants  of  London 
gave  him  a  service  of  silver  plate  worth  more  than  $3,000,  on  which  was 
engraved  a  picture  of  the  battle.  In  the  beginning  of  February,  1800, 
Truxton  and  the  "  Constellation  "  gained  a  victory  over  the  French  frigate 
"  La  Vengeance,"  of  fifty-four  guns  and  500  men.  In  consequence  of  the 
falling  of  the  mainmast  of  the  "  Constellation  "  the  "  Vengeance  "  escaped, 
but  this  did  not  detract  from  the  glory  of  Truxton 's  victory,  and  Congress 
awarded  him  a  gold  medal  for  his  exploits.  Again  the  city  of  New  York 
came  to  the  front  and  presented  the  gallant  commander  the  freedom  of  the 
city  in  a  gold  box. 

No  American  naval  commander  ever  received  more  splendid  honors 
from  the  hands  of  his  fellow  citizens  or  more  richly  deserved  them  than 
John  Paul  Jones,  who  sailed  as  first  lieutenant  with  Esek 

Hopkins,  first  commander-in-chief  of  the  Continental  Navy.  Hor"aec  for  J°hn 

Paul  Jones. 

Jones  was  always  successful,  and  became  a  terror  to  the 
English  mind,  so  much  so  that  historians  of  that  day  speak  of  him  as 
"pirate"  and  "corsair."  In  the  middle  of  August,  1779,  the  French 
monarch  and  the  American  commissioners  joined  in  sending  Paul  Jones 
with  five  vessels  to  the  coast  of  Scotland.  His  flagship  was  the  "  Bon- 
Homme  Richard."  Late  in  September,  while  the  squadron  lay  a  few  leagues 
north  of  the  mouth  of  the  Humber,  he  discovered  the  Baltic  fleet,  convoyed 
by  three  battleships,  stretching  seaward  from  behind  Flamborough  Head. 
At  seven  o'clock  Jones  was  within  musket  shot  of  the  "  Serapis,"  the  flag- 
ship of  the  British  fleet,  when  one  of  the  most  desperate  naval  fights  ever 
recorded  began.  There  was  little  wind,  and  the  vessels  drifted  together  so 
that  their  spars  and  rigging  became  entangled.  Jones  at  the  head  of  his 
men  attempted  to  board  the  "Serapis,"  but  after  a  short  fight  with  pike, 
pistol  and  cutlass  he  was  obliged  to  retreat.  Captain  Pearson,  of  the 
"  Serapis,"  who  could  not  see  the  American  ensign  through  the  smoke,  called 
out,  "  Has  your  flag  been  struck?"  Jones  shouted  back,  "  I  have  not  begun 
to  fight  yet !" 

Then  the  vessels  separated  and  the  wind  brought  them  broadside  to 

broadside,  the  muzzles  of  the  guns  touching  each  other.     Jones  lashed  them 

together,  and  in  that  close  embrace  they  poured  volleys  into  each  other  with 

dreadful  effect,  while  from  deck  to  deck  fighting  hosts  rushed  inadly  over 

to 


146         THE   GREAT  SEA   BATTLES   OUR  NAVY   HAS  WON. 

each  other.  Presently  the  "  Richard  "  began  to  sink.  Her  ten  greater  guns 
were  silenced  and  only  three  9-pounders  kept  up  the  firing.  The  marines 
in  the  round-top  of  the  "  Richard,"  however,  kept  up  a  steady  fire  upon  the 
Englishman  below,  while  ignited  combustibles  were  scattered  over  the 
British  ship.  Presently  both  ships  caught  fire  and  the  scene  was  both 
appalling  and  magnificent,  for  it  was  a  beautiful  sight,  with  a  full 
moon  an  hour  high.  In  the  midst  of  smoke  and  flame  men  fought 
like  demons  in  a  hand-to-hand  conflict  for  the  mastery.  Some  one  on  board 
the  "Richard"  cried,  "The  ship  is  sinking!"  A  frightened  gunner  who 
ran  to  pull  down  the  flag  was  silenced  by  a  blow  from  a  discharged  pistol 
which  Jones  hurled  at  his  head.  After  raging  for  three  hours,  the  battle 
ceased,  because  fire  was  consuming  both  ships.  The  "Richard"  sank  and 
her  crew  were  transferred  to  the  "  Serapis." 

By  this  achievement  Jones'  fame  spread  throughout  the  civilized  world. 

The  French  monarch  gave  him  an  elegant  gold-mounted  sword,  bearing  on  its 

blade  the  words,  "Louis  XVI.,  Rewarder  of  the  Valiant 

Honored  by  Other  Asserter  of  the  Freedom  of  the  Sea,"  and  also  the  Grand 

Nations  First. 

Cross  of  the  order  of  Military  Merit,  never  before  given  to 
a  foreigner.  From  Denmark  he  received  marks  of  distinc- 
tion and  attention.  His  own  country  was  slowest  in  coming  to  the  front,  and 
it  was  not  until  eight  years  afterward  that  Congress  voted  him  a  gold  medal. 

Commodore  Oliver  Hazard  Perry  was  the  recipient  of  extraordinary 
honors  at  the  hands  of  his  fellow  citizens,  in  recognition  of  his  brilliant 
victory  over  the  British  fleet  in  Lake  Erie  on  1813.  Perry  had  nine  vessels 
in  his  squadron,  and  the  British  commander,  Barclay,  had  six.  At  the 
masthead  of  his  flagship,  the  "Lawrence,"  Perry  displayed  a  blue  banner, 
upon  which  was  emblazoned  in  white  letters  the  last  words  of  Captain  Law- 
rence, "  Don't  give  up  the  ship." 

For  two  hours  the  ' '  Lawrence  "  bore  the  brunt  of  the  battle  that  followed, 
until  she  was  almost  a  total  wreck.  Her  rigging  was  shot  away,  her  sails 
were  cut  into  shreds  and  her  spars  were  battered  into  splinters.  One  mast 
remained,  and  from  it  floated  the  Stars  and  Stripes.  Finally  Perry  left  the 
flagship,  boarded  the  "  Niagara,"  and  renewed  the  fight. 

In  his  trip  from  the  "  Lawrence  "  to  the  "  Niagara  "  he  was  a  mark  for 
the  fire  of  the  whole  British  fleet,  but  he  reached  the  ship  in  safety,  and 
after  that  victory  was  no  longer  in  doubt.  It  was  then  that  Commodore 
Perry  sat  down,  and,  resting  his  naval  cap  on  his  knee,  wrote  with  a  lead 
pencil  on  the  back  of  a  letter  this  famous  dispatch  to  General  Harrison  : 

We  have  met  the  eueniy  and  they  are  ours — two  ships,  two  brigs,  one  schooner  and  one 
sloop.  Yours,  with  great  respect, 

O.  H.  PERRY. 


THE   GREAT  SEA   BATTLES   OUR   NAVY   HAS   WON.          147 

All   the  States  and  cities  in  the  Union  joined  in  doing  Perry  honor. 
The  Legislature  of  Pennslvania  voted  him  thanks  and  a  gold  medal.     Con- 
gress did  the  same.     New  York,  not  to  be  behindhand, 
voted   the  conqueror    the  freedom  of   the  city,  and    ten-  °*    * 

dered  him  a  public  banquet,  at  which  the  principal  men 
of  the  city  delivered  eulogistic  addresses,  while  the  fashion  and  beauty  of 
the  town  joined  in  doing  honor  to  the  greatest  hero  of  American  naval 
history. 

"  Old  Ironsides  "  Stewart,  who  commanded  the  frigate  "  Constitution  " 
during  the  last  years  of  the  war  of  1812,  performed  a  brilliant  feat  on  the 
evening  of  February  20,  1815,  by  the  capture,  after  a  severe  fight,  of  the 
British  ships  "  Cyane  "  and  "  Levant."  In  this  engagement  the  "  Consti- 
tution "  was  so  little  damaged  that  three  hours  after  the  battle  she  was  ready 
for  another.  Stewart  crossed  the  Atlantic,  landed  many  of  his  prisoners  on 
the  coast  of  Brazil,  and  at  Porto  Rico  he  first  heard  that  peace  had  been  pro- 
claimed. He  arrived  in  New  York  in  the  middle  of  May,  1815,  and  gave  the 
first  intelligence  of  the  capture  of  the  "  Cyane  "  and  "  Levant."  Honors 
were  showered  upon  him.  Congress  voted  him  thanks  and  a  gold  medal. 
The  common  council  of  the  city  of  New  York  presented  him  with  the 
freedom  of  the  city  in  a  gold  box  and  honored  him  with  a  public  banquet, 
which  was  participated  in  by  the  first  men  of  the  land.  The  legislature  of 
Pennsylvania  presented  him,  in  the  name  of  the  State,  with  a  gold-hilted 
sword.  The  "  Constitution  "  was  ever  known  afterward  as  u  Old  Ironsides," 
and  Stewart  bore  the  same  title  until  his  death  in  November,  1869,  when  he 
was  ninety-two  years  old. 

Extraordinary  honors  were  accorded  by  the  city  of  New  York  to  Cap- 
tain Stephen  Decatur,  whose  frigate,  the  "  United  States," 
captured  the  British  frigate  "Macedonian,"  thirty-eight 
guns,  Captain  Garden,  after  a  severe  fight  of  about  two 
hours  westward  of  the  Canary  Islands,  in  the  winter  of  1812.  The  "  United 
States  "  displayed  splendid  gunnery  and  shot  the  "  Macedonian  "  to  pieces. 
In  all  the  "  Macedonian  "  received  one  hundred  rounds  of  shot  in  her  hull. 
Realizing  the  hopelessly  crippled  condition  of  his  ship,  Captain  Garden 
surrendered  her. 

Rigging  her  as  a  bark,  and  putting  a  prize  crew  on  board,  Decatur 
sailed  with  his  own  ship  and  her  captive  for  American  waters,  and  on  the 
first  day  of  January,  1813,  the  ''  Macedonian  "  was  anchored  in  the  harbor 
of  New  York,  where  she  was  greeted  with  joy  as  a  "  New  Year's  gift."  "  She 
conies  with  the  compliments  of  the  season  from  Old  Neptune,"  said  one  of 
the  prints  of  that  day.  Only  three  days  previous  to  the  arrival  of  the 


i48          THE  GREAT   NAVAL   BATTLE   BEFORE   SANTIAGO. 

"  Macedonian  "  a  public  banquet  had  been  given  to  Hull,  Jones  and  Decatur 
by  the  corporation  and  citizens  of  New  York. 

Decatur  received,  if  anything,  greater  honors  than  those  bestowed  upon 
his  brother  victors,  and  during  the  whole  of  his  stay  in  New  York  he  was  the 
object  of  an  unending  ovation.  There  were  banquets,  receptions  and  enter- 
tainments in  his  honor ;  military  spectacles,  civic  parades,  presentations  of 
addresses  and  gifts  innumerable.  Captain  Decatur  was  not  allowed  to  rest 
upon  his  laurels  by  the  good  citizens  of  New  York,  who  made  New  Year's 
week  one  continuous  holiday  by  enthusiastic  manifestation  of  their  appre- 
ciation of  his  valiant  conduct.  Congress  also  ordered  him  a  vote  of  thanks 
and  presented  him  with  a  gold  medal. 


THE  GREAT  NAVAL  BATTLE  BEFORE  SANTIAGO. 


A   Picturesque,   Circumstantial    Description   of    the    Destruction    of 

Cervera's   Fleet. 

BY  JOHN  R.  SPEAR, 

• 

(  The  historian,  who,  f torn  the  deck  of  Sampson's  flagship,  viewed  the  fight.) 

THE  story  of  the  desperate  flight  of  the  Spanish  squadron    from  the 
harbor  of  Santiago  is  unique  in  the  history  of  naval  warfare.  Never 
before  did  such  a  powerful  aggregation  of  ships  seek   safety  by 
flight   alone.      Never  was   such    a  fleet  wholly   annihilated  in  a 
single  battle.     Never  was  so  gjeat  a  victory  won  in  so  short  a  time.     Never 
did  a  triumphant  force  conquer  such  an  enemy  with  losses  so  small.    Never 
was  there  such  a  dramatic  scene  at  sea  as  that  mighty  race  for  life  for  fifty 
miles  down  the  Cuban  coast. 

On  Sunday  morning,  July  3,  the  battleships  "  Texas,"  "  Iowa  "  and 
"  Oregon  "  and  the  big  armored  cruiser  "  Brooklyn  "  were  drifting  with  the 
tide  off  the  mouth  of  the  harbor  of  Santiago  de  Cuba.  Near  by  were  the 
converted  yachts  "Gloucester"  and  "Hist,"  while  off  to  the  east  lay  the 
battleship  "  Indiana,"  and  away  on  the  coast,  but  still  just  visible,  was  the 
flagship  "  New  York,"  where  she  had  gone  to  give  Admiral  Sampson  a 
chance  for  a  conference  with  General  Shafter. 

An  armistice  had  been  declared  between  the  fighting  forces  on  shore 
pending  the  removal  of  non-combatants  from  the  beleagured  city.  The 


THE   GREAT   NAVAL  BATTLE   BEFORE   SANTIAGO.  149 

white-starred  nicked-out  blue  flag  of  Commodore  Schley  floating  from  the 
masthead  of  the  "  Brooklyn  "  proclaimed  him  senior  officer  for  the  time. 

So  far  as  any  one  afloat  could  see,  there  was  no  life  about  the  oft-battered 
Morro,  the  Socapa  or  the  other  fortifications  save  as  the  blood  and  gold 
ensign  of  Spain  waved  in  the  gentle  breeze.  It  was  to  be  a  day  of  ease  for 
the  sailors  and  soldiers  so  far  as  any  one  could  foresee.  On  the  ships,  at  any 
rate,  after  Jack  had  his  breakfast  and  had  dressed  for  and  endured  the  regular 
Sunday  morning  inspection,  very  little  was  to  be  done,  and  a  majority  of 
each  crew  was  free  to  stretch  out  for  a  snooze  or  rig  a  mess  table  and  get  out 
paper  and  ink  for  a  letter  horns. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  not  a  few  were  doing  just  those  things  on  all  the 
ships  after  the  bo's'ns'  mates  had  piped  down  from  inspec- 
tion, when,  at  9.30  o'clock  precisely,  Lieutenant  Mark  L.  The  Ships  Appear. 
Bristol,  watch  officer  of  the  "  Texas,"  and  the  lookout 
on  the  "  Iowa  "  saw  a  black  curl  of  coal  smoke  rising  from  behind  the  cape 
on  the  westerly  side  of  the  harbor  entrance,  Socapa,  There  was  no  mistak- 
ing the  meaning  of  that  smoke,  and  while  the  lookout  on  the  "  Iowa  " 
bawled  to  Lieutenant  Louis  S.  Van  Duser  announcing  the  smoke,  Lieu- 
tenant Bristol,  of  the  "  Texas,"  sprang  to  the  signal  board  on  the  bridge 
of  his  ship  and  set  the  clattering  electric  gongs  calling  all  hands  to  clear 
ship  for  action.  With  equal  promptness  the  crew  of  the  "  Iowa  "  heard  the 
same  call,  while  her  signal  officers  hurriedly  sent  a  fluttering  string  of  col- 
ored flags  to  the  yard-arm,  announcing  to  all  the  squadron  that  a  Spanish 
ship  was  coming  out  of  the  harbor. 

But  while  the  gongs  were  yet  ringing  the  Spanish  ship  herself  came 
plowing  around  Socapa  Point,  turning  the  sluggish  water  into  a  splashing 
roll  on  either  bow,  and  then  headed  along  shore  toward  the  west,  so  that 
every  officer  on  the  decks  of  the  Yankee  ships  recognized  her  as  the  power- 
ful "  Almirante  Oquendo,"  while  those  with  good  glasses  saw  the  tiny  signal 
at  the  masthead  which  told  that  Admiral  Cervera  was  on  board.  Another 
big  cruiser  was  following  her  close,  the  "  Cristobal  Colon,"  while  no  more 
than  a  cable's  length  apart  astern  appeared  in  swift  succession  the  u  Vizcaya  " 
and  the  "  Infanta  Maria  Teresa." 

The  signal  flags  had  by  this  time  reached  the  yard-arm  of  the  "  Iowa's" 
mast,  but  they  were  no  longer  needed,  for  the  decks  of  the  whole  Yankee 
squadron  were  vibrating  to  the  tread  of  men  running  to 
quarters,  man  shouting  to  man   that  "  the  Spaniards  are         Quarters  ' 
coming    at  last."      The  click    of   opening    breech-locks, 
and  the  whir  of  electric  elevators  hoisting  armor-piercing  projectiles  to  the 
big  guns,  followed  hard  on  the  shouts  of  the  hurrying  crews. 


150          THE   GREAT   NAVAL   BATTLE    BEFORE   SANTIAGO. 

Never  in  their  lives  had  these  sailors  known  such  a  moment  as  that,  for 
though  they  nad  been  under  fire,  though  some  had  shelled  the  enemy  in  the 
Morro  there,  and  some  had  seen  another  squadron  drift  under  the  Morro  of 
San  Juan,  to  wake  the  sleepers  there  with  the  tornado  roar  of  mighty  shells, 
here,  for  the  first  time,  they  were  to  face  an  armed  and  armored  enemy  afloat, 
and  the  hope  that  for  weeks  had  nerved  them  was  to  be  gratified  at  last. 

The  enemy  was  first  seen  at  9.30  a.  m.,  and  at  9.32  the  men  at  the 
American  batteries  were  standing  erect  and  silent  beside  their  loaded  guns, 
waiting  for  the  order  to  commence  firing,  and  watching  out  of  the  corners 
of  their  eyes  the  boys  who  were  still  sprinkling  the  decks  with  sand  that 
no  one's  foot  might  slip  when  blood  began  to  flow  across  the  planks. 

But  though  silence  prevailed  among  the  guns,  down  in  the  sealed  stoke- 
hole the  click  and  ring  of  the  shovels  ^that  sprayed  the 
coal  over  the  glowing  grate-bars,  the  song  of  the  fans  that 

Forced    Draught. 

raised  the  air  pressure,  and  the  throb  of  pump- and  engine 
made  music  for  the  whole  crew,  for  the  steam  gauges  were  climbing,  and  the 
engineers  were  standing  by  wide-open  throttles  as  the  ships  were  driven 
straight  at  the  enemy. 

For,  as  it  happened,  the  "  Texas  "  had  been  lying  directly  off  the  har- 
bor, and  a  little  more  than  two  miles  away,  the  "  Iowa "  was  but  a  few 
lengths  further  out,  and  to  the  westward,  while  Captain  Jack  Philip,  of  the 
one,  and  "  Fighting  Bob  "  Evans,  of  the  other,  were  both  on  deck  when  the 
cry  was  raised  announcing  the  enemy.  Hastening  to  their  bridges,  they 
headed  away  at  once  for  the  Spaniards,  while  the  "  Oregon "  and  the 
"  Brooklyn  "  went  flying  to  westward  to  intercept  the  leader.  The  mightiest 
race  known  to  the  history  of  the  world,  and  the  most  thrilling,  was  now 
begun. 

They  were  all  away  in  less  time  than  it  has  taken  the  reader  to  get  thus 
far  in  the  story,  and  in  much  less  time  still — indeed,  before  the  gongs  in 
the  engine-rooms  of  the  Yankee  ships  had  ceased  to  vibrate 
— under  the  imperative  order  of  "  Ahead — full  speed  !  " 
the  "Almirante  Oquendo,"  fugitive  as  she  was,  had  opened  the  battle. 
With  impetuous  haste,  and  while  yet  more  than  two  miles  away,  the 
Spaniard  pointed  one  of  his  n-inch  Hontoria  rifles  in  the  direction  of  the 
*'  Texas  "  and  pulled  the  lanyard.  The  shell  came  shrieking  out  to  sea,  but 
to  sea  only.  Instantly  the  great  guns  of  the  Morro,  180  feet  above  the 
water,  and  those  of  the  Socapa  battery,  lying  higher  still,  with  all  the  bat- 
ieries  beneath  those  two,  began  to  belch  and  roar  as  their  crews  strove  with 
frantic  energy  to  aid  the  flying  squadron.  It  was  a  fearsome  task  to  take 
ships  of  any  kind  under  a  fire  like  that,  for  one  plunging  shot  might  sink 


THE   GREAT   NAVAL   BATTLE   BEFORE   SANTIAGO.          151 

the  best,  but  the  Yankee  seamen  did  not  know  what  fear  wa&.  and  held  their 
course  with  growing  speed.     Still  it  was  not  in  human  nat'cre  to  go  on  in 
silence,  and  within  two  minutes  after  the  Spaniards  began 
firing,  the  guns  in  the  forward  turret  of  the  "  Texas,"  and    Th*  "£*  Yankee 
in-the  "  Iowa  "  as  well,  opened  in  reply. 

Just  how  far  apart  the  opposing  ships  were  at  the  first  fir:  of  the 
Americans  has  not  been  told  as  yet,  but  one  may  easily  calculate  it.  For  as 
the  "  Alrnirante  Oquendo  "  rounded  Socapa  Point,  bound  out,  the  "  Texas  " 
was  but  two  and  a  quarter  miles  away.  The  "  Oquendo,"  as  she  appeared, 
was  heading  for  the  southeast  because  of  shoal  water  off  the  point,  and  when 
she  had  rounded  it  and  turned  westward,  she  was  still  heading,  because  of 
the  trend  of  the  land,  more  to  the  south  than  to  the  west — she  was  probably 
steering  southwest  by  south.  And  all  this  is  to  say  that  she  was  heading, 
for  the  time  being,  directly  toward  the  coming  Yankee  squadron,  with  the 
three  behind  her  following  at  full  speed,  while  the  Yankees  were  bending 
every  energy  to  meet  them. 

Now,  it  was  about  three    minutes  from    the    appearance  of  the  first 
Spaniard  to  the  firing  of  the  first  American  gun,  and  during  that  time  the 
Spaniards  were  traveling  at  a  rate  not  less  than  sixteen  knots  per  hour,  foi 
they  came  with  boilers  at  the  highest  pressure,  while  the  Americans  were 
surely  covering    twelve    knots,  if  not  fifteen,   after  allowing   for  the  lo\\ 
pressure  at  the  start.     In  these  three  minutes  the  distance  between  the 
squadrons  was  lessened  by  at  least  a  mile — the  range  was  not  more  thati 
2,000  yards,  if  it  was  so  much.     But  while  2,000  yards  is  the  range  (abou^ 
one  and  one-sixth  miles)  selected  for  great-gun  target  practice,  it  will  never 
do  for  an  eager  fight,  and  as  the  trend  of  the  land  still 
headed  the  Spaniards  off  to  southward  the  battleships  were     Eager  for  Close 
able  to  reduce  the  range  to  1,500  yards  before  they  were          Quarters. 
obliged   to  head  a  course  parallel  with  the  Spaniards. 

Meantime  the  "  Oregon  "  and  the  "  Brooklyn,"  as  they  were  stretching 
away  toward  the  coast,  had  opened  fire  also,  and  then  the  last  of  the  big 
Spaniards,  the  "  Infanta  Maria  Teresa,"  having  rounded  the  point,  the 
magnificent  spectacle  of  a  squadron  battle  on  the  open  sea — of  a  battle 
between  four  of  the  best  of  modern  armed  cruisers  on  the  Spanish  side  against 
three  battleships  and  an  armed  cruiser  on  our  side — was  spread  out  to  view. 

On  our  side  the  "  Brooklyn  "  led,  with  the  "  Oregon,"  the  "  Iowa  "  and 
the  "  Texas "  following  in  the  order  named,  while  the  "  Indiana "  came 
towering  along  away  to  the  east,  though  too  far  for  an  immediate  part  in 
the  fight.  But  as  the  Spaniards  got  headed  fairly  down  the  coast  the 
"  Cristobal  Colon "  shot  ahead,  leaving  the  "  Almirante  Oquendo,"  the 


152          THE   GREAT   NAVAL   BATTLE   BEFORE   SANTIAGO. 

"  Vizcaya  "  and  "  Infanta  Maria  Teresa  "  to  struggle  after  as  best  they  might. 
And  their  best  was  the  worst  struggle  the  world  ever  saw,  for  it  was  a 
struggle  to  get  out  of  range  while  firing  with  hysterical  vehemence  their 
unaimed  guns. 

The  first  shot   from  the   American  ships   was   fired  at  9.33   o'clock. 

Because  the  range-finder  was  wrong  or  because  the  gentle  swing  of  the  sea 

lowered  the  ship's  bow  at  the  moment  of  firing,  the  shot 

!°  fell  short,  and  a  second  in  like  fashion  dropped  into  the 
that  was  Mortal. 

sea.  At  that  the  gunner  said  things  to  himself  under  his 
breath  (it  was  in  the  forward  turret  of  the  "  Iowa  ")  and  tried  once  more. 
For  a  moment  after  it  the  cloud  of  gun-smoke  shrouded  the  turret,  but 
as  that  thinned  away  the  eager  "crew  saw  the  1 2-inch  shell  strike  into  the 
hull  of  the  "  Infanta  Maria  Teresa."  Instantly  it  exploded  with  tremendous 
effect.  Flame  and  smoke  belched  from  the  hole  the  shell  had  made,  and 
puffed  from  port  and  hatch.  And  then  in  the  wake  of  the  driven  blast  rolled 
up  a  volume  of  flame-streaked  smoke  that  showed  the  woodwork  had  taken 
fire  and  was  burning  fiercely  all  over  the  after  part  of  the  stricken  ship. 
The  yell  that  rose  from  the  Yankee  throats  at  that  sight  swelled  to  a 
roar  of  triumph  a  moment  later,  for  as  he  saw  that  smoke  the  captain  of  the 
"  Teresa  "  threw  her  helm  over  to  port  and  headed  her  for  the  rocky  beach. 
The  one  shell  had  given  a  mortal  wound. 

And  then  came  Wainwright,  of  the  "  Maine  " — Lieutenant-Commander 
Richard  Wainwright,  who  for  weeks  conducted  the  weary  search  for  the 

dead  bodies  of  shipmates  on  the  wreck  in  the  harbor  of 

When  Wainwright  Havana.  He  was  captain  of  the  "Gloucester,"  that  was 
Avenged  the  .  , 

••Maine."  once  known  as  the  yacht  "Corsair."  A  swift  and  beauti- 
ful craft  she,  but  only  armed  with  lean  six-pounders. 

As  a  shoal-draught  lookout  she  had  drifted  to  and  fro  off  the  harbor 
watching  for  gunboats.  But  what  does  the  reader  suppose  she  was  to  do 
when  the  huge  armored  cruisers  appeared  ? 

"  Get  out  of  range,"  says  prudence,  but — "Ahead,  full  speed  ! "  said 
Wainwright. 

And  fortune  once  more  favored  the  brave,  for  in  the  wake  of  the 
mighty  "Maria  Teresa"  came  Spain's  two  big  torpedo-boats,  called  destroy- 
ers, because  of  their  size — the  "  Pluton  "  and  the  "Furor."  Either  was 
more  than  a  match  for  the  "Gloucester,"  for  one  carried  two  12-pounders 
and  the  other  two  14-pounders,  besides  the  6-pounders  that  both  carried. 
Moreover,  both  overmatched  the  speed  of  the  "  Gloucester "  by  at  least 
ten  knots  per  hour.  But  both  had  thin  plated  sides.  The  shells  of  the 
"Gloucester"  could  pierce  them,  and  at  them  went  Wainwright,  with 
the  memory  of  that  night  in  Havana  uppermost  in  his  mind. 


THE  GREAT  NAVAL  BATTLE  BEFORE  SANTIAGO.    153 

The  two  boats  —  even  the  whole  Spanish  fleet  —  was  still  within  easy 
range  of  the  Spanish  forts,  and  to  reach  his  choice  of  enemies  the  "  Glouces- 
ter "  was  obliged  to  risk,  not  only  the  land  fire,  but  that  of  the  "  Vizcaya  " 
and  the  "Teresa."  Nevertheless,  as  the  torpedo-boats  steered  toward  the 
'•'  Brooklyn,"  evidently  bound  to  torpedo  her,  Wainwright  headed  them  off, 
and  they  never  got  beyond  the  range  of  the  forts.  The  shots  they  threw  at 
him  outweighed  his  three  to  one,  but  theirs  flew  wild  and  his  struck  home. 

The  "  Texas  "  and  the  "  Iowa  "  both  turned  their  smaller  guns  on  the 
little  Spaniards.  It  is  asserted,  but  has  not  been  verified,  that  a  1  2-inch 
shot  from  the  "  Iowa  "  knocked  the  bow  from  one  of  the  boats.  Then,  too, 
came  the  "  Hist  "  to  join  in,  while  seven  miles  away  to  the  east  the  "  New 
York  "  could  be  seen  whooping  on,  and  the  "  Indiana  "  was  already  within 
range.  The  destroyers  were  fairly  mobbed,  and  yet,  because  all  these 
attacking  ships  were  shrouded  in  smoke,  torpedo-throwers  never  had,  and 
never  can  have,  a  better  chance  for  aggression  in  open  day. 

As  it  was,  the  chance,  however  small  or  large,  was  thrown  away  by 
these  two  captains.  As  they  approached  the  fleet  they  spurted  flames  from 
exactly  half  a  dozen  guns  each,  but  one  by  one  these 


were  silenced,  while  the  holes  in  their  sides  increased  more 


rapidly,  and  with  more  deadly  significance,  than  the  pits 
on  the  faces  of  smallpox  patients.  Spanish  flesh  and  blood  could  not  stand 
that.  The  day  of  the  destroyers  was  done.  As  the  big  "Maria  Teresa" 
turned  toward  the  shore,  these  two  destroyers,  like  stricken  wild  fowl,  fled 
fluttering  and  splashing  in  the  same  direction.  The  race  for  freedom  which 
all  had  made  became  a  terror-stricken  race  for  life.  It  was  a  race  which  the 
big  ships  so  far  won,  but  death  shrouded  in  the  two  destroyers,  and  they 
foundered  as  they  fled. 

The  dread  that  for  six  weeks  had  nightly  haunted  the  American  seamen 
—  the  dread  of  a  stealthy  enemy  that  might  sneak*  unaware  within  torpedo 
range,  and  with  one  shot  sink  the  most  powerful  battleships  —  was  gone. 

But  while  the  "  Infanta  Maria  Teresa  "  was  on  fire  and  running  for  the 
beach  her  crew  were  still  working  their  guns,  and  the  big  "Vizcaya"  was 
handy  by,  to  double  the  storm  of  projectiles  she  was  hurl- 
ing  at  the  «  Iowa  "  and  the  "  Texas." 

It  was  not  that  the  "  Vizcaya's  "  crew  were  manfully 

striving  to  protect  the  "  Teresa  ;  "  they  were  making  the  snarling,  clawing 
fight  of  a  lifetime  to  escape  the  relentless  Yankees  that  were  closing  upon 
them.  For  both  the  "Texas'''  and  the  "Iowa"  had  the  range,  and  it  was 
only  when  the  ^moke  of  their  own  guns  blinded  them  that  their  fire  was 
withheld  or  a  shot  went  astray.  Each  ship,  in  spite  of  speed,  was  as  a 


154          THE   GREAT   NAVAL   BATTLE   BEFORE  SANTIAGO. 

towering  cloud  of  white  smoke — a  cloud  from  which  a  gray  bow  constantly 
protruded,  and  through  which  the  outline  of  superstructures  appeared  dimly 
at  times,  only  to  be  instantly  obscured  again  by  the  booming  of  the  guns 
from  greater  and  lesser  turrets.  It  was  when  this  cloud  thinned  away  that 
the  shot  struck  home.  There  was  a  blast  that  no  ship  and  no  Spaniard 
£ould  face  and  live. 

The    "  Iowa  "  and  the  "  Texas  "  had  headed  off  both  the  "  Vizcaya  " 
and  "  Infanta  Maria  Teresa,"  while  the   "Indiana"  was  coming  with  tre- 
^icndous  speed  to  join.     And  then  came    the    finishing    stroke.       A    12- 
inch  shell  from  the  "  Texas  "  went  crashing  into  the*  stoke 
•'Vizca  m  "        h°le>    an&    the   "  Vizcaya " — the  ship    whose    beauty  and 
power  once  thrilled  the  hearts  of  NewYorkers  with  mingled 
pleasure   and  fear — was    mortally   wounded.       Hope  was   gone,   and   with 
heli.i  a  port  she  headed  away  for  the  beach  as  her  consort  had  done. 

For  a  brief  interval — an  interval  that  is  almost  incredibly  brief — there 
had  been  a  show  of  fighting,  but  now  it  was  a  stern  chase  that  could  last 
for  little  more  than  seconds.  With  a  tremendous  shock  each  flying  ship 
struck  on  the  rocks.  For  a  moment  the  "  Texas  "  tarried  there  to  let  the 
smoke  clear  and  so  see  accurately  the  condition  of  the  enemy,  but  while  her 
gunners  were  taking  aim  for  a  final  broadside  a  half-naked  quartermaster  on 
the  "  Vizcaya,"  with  clawing  hands  on  the  halyards,  hauled  down  the  fever- 
hued  ensign  from  her  peak  and  hoisted  the  white  flag  instead. 

1  Cease  firing!  "  commanded  Captain  Jack  Philip,  of  the  "Texas,"  and 
then  rang  to  go  ahead  full  speed  again. 

So  far  as  the  "  Vizcaya  "  and  the  "  Infanta  Maria  Teresa  "  were  con- 
cerned, the  battle — for  that  matter  the  war — was  ended. 
Ship  Bi  rned  Huge  columns  of  black  smoke,  edged  with  red  flame, 
rolled  from  every  port  and  shot  hole  on  the  "  Vizcaya  " 
as  from  the  "Teresa."  They  were  both  furnaces  of  glowing  fire.  Though 
they  had  come  from  the  harbor  for  certain  battle,  not  a  wooden  bulkhead 
nor  a  partition  in  the  quarters  either  of  officers  or  men  had  been  taken  out, 
nor  had  trunks  and  chests  been  sent  ashore.  Neither  had  the  wooden  decks 
nor  any  other  wooden  fixtures  been  prepared  to  resist  fire.  Apparently  the 
crew  had  not  even  wet  down  the  decks.  So  the  bursting  shells  from  the 
Yankee  ships  not  only  swept  the  Spanish  crews  from  their  guns,  but  the 
flames  licked  over  the  splintered  bulkheads  and  added  the  torture  of  fire  to 
the  bleeding  wounds  of  the  stricken  men.  In  a  minute  the  survivors  of  both 
Spanish  crews  were  taking  to  such  boats  as  remained  or  were  leaping  wildly 
into  the  water  in  the  hope  (that  was  often  vain)  of  swimming  ashore.  The 
sharks  of  the  Cuban  coast  were  sated  for  once  with  human  flesh. 


THE  GREAT  NAVAL  BATTLE  BEFORE  SANTIAGO.     155 

But  the  "  Texas  "  tarried  at  this  gruesome  scene  only  for  a  moment. 
They  wished  only  to  make  sure  the  two  Spaniards  were  really  out  of  the 
fight,  and  when  they  saw  the  "  Iowa  "  was  going  to  stand  by  both,  away 
they  went  to  join  the  race  between  the  "  Brooklyn  "  and  the  "  Oregon  "  on 
our  side  and  the  "  Cristobal  Colon  "  and  the  "  Almirante  Oquendo  "  on  the 
other.  In  spite  of  the  original  superior  speed  on  the  part  of  the  Spaniards 
and  in  spite  of  the  delay  on  the  part  of  the  "Texas,"  the  Spaniards  were  not 
yet  wholly  out  of  range,  though  the  "  Cristobal  Colon  "  was  reaching  away 
at  a  speed  that  gave  the  Spanish  shore  forces  hope. 

Under  battened  hatches  the  Yankee  firemen,  stripped      Speedy  When 
to  their  trousers,  plied  their  shovels  and  raised  the  steam     the  Call  Came. 
gauges  higher.     The  Yankee  ships  were  grass-grown  and 
barnacled,  but  now  they  were  driven  as  never  before  since  their  trial  trips. 
The  Spaniards  had  called  us  pigs,  but  Nemesis  had  turned  us  into  spear- 
armed  huntsmen   in  chase  of  game  that  neither  tusks  nor  legs  could  save. 
For  while  the  "  Colon  "  was  showing  a  speed  that  was  the  equal  at  least 
of  our  own  "  Brooklyn,"  long-headed  Commodore  Schley  saw  that  she  was 
hugging  the  coast,  although  a  point  of  land  loomed  in  the  distance  to  cut 
her  off  or  drive  her  out  to  sea. 

Instead  of  striving  to  close  in  on  the  Spaniards,  Schley  headed  straight 
for  that  point — took  the  shortest  :ut  for  it,  so  to  speak,  and  in  that  way  drew 
steadily  ahead  of  the  "  Colon,"  leaving  to  the  "  Oregon  "  and  the  "  Texas  )v 
the  task  of  holding  the  Spaniards  from  turning  out  across  the  "  Brooklyn's" 
stern.  It  was  a  splendid  piece  of  strategy,  well  worthy  of  the  gallant  officer, 
and  it  won. 

The  task  of  the  battleships  was  well  within   their  powers.     It  is   not 
without  reason  that  both  the  "  Oregon  "  and  the  "  Texas  "  are  the  pride  of 
the  nation  as  well  as  of  their  crews.     The  "  Oregon  "  and  the  "  Brooklyn  " 
had  hurled  a  relentless  fire  at  the  flying  Spaniards,  and  it  had  told  on  the 
"  Almirante  Oquendo "  with    increasing   effect.     For    the   "  Oregon "   was 
fair  on  the  "  Oquendo's  "  beam  and  there  was  not  enough 
armor  on  any  Spanish  ship  to  stop  the  massive  1 3-inch       "Oquendo" 
projectiles  the  ship  from  the  Pacific  was  driving  into  her     Driven  Ashore. 
with  unerring  aim. 

At  10  o'clock  sharp  the  "  Oquendo"  was  apparently  still  fore,  and  fit, 
but  within  five  minutes  she  wavered  and  lagged,  and  a  little  later,  flagship 
though  she  was,  she  put  her  helm  to  port,  as  her  consorts  had  done,  and  fled 
for  life  to  the  beach. 

The  "  Texas  i'  was  coming  with  unflagging  speed  astern,  and  off  to  the 
east  could  be  seen  the  flagship  of  Admiral  Sampson  racing  as  never  before 


i56    THE  GREAT  NAVAL  BATTLE  BEFORE  SANTIAGO. 

to  get  a  shot  in  at  the  finish.  An  auxiliary  had  been  sent  by  Commodore 
Schley  to  call  her,  and  it  had  met  her  coining  at  the  call  of  the  guns  of  the 
Spanish  fleet.  She  had  overhauled  and  passed  the  "  Indiana  "  long  since  and 
was  well  nigh  abreast  of  the  "Texas."  So  the  "Oregon,"  in  order  to  vie 
with  the  "  New  York "  in  the  last  of  the  mighty  race,  abandoned  the 
"  Oquendo  "  to  her  fate  and  stretched  away  after  the  "  Cristobal  Colon." 

Some  of  her  crew  who  looked  back  saw  the  "  Texas  " 
bring  to  near  the  "  Oquendo  "  and  then  the  sea  trembled 

Man's  Sympathy. 

under  the  impulse  of  a  tremendous  explosion  on  board  the 
doomed  Spaniard,  while  a  vast  volume  of  smoke  filled  with  splintered  wreck 
rose  in  the  air.     Had  they  been  near   enough  they  would  have  heard  the 
crew  of  the  "  Texas  "  start  in  to  cheer,  and  have  heard  as  well  the  voice  of 
Captain  Philip  say,  as  he  raised  his  hand  to  check  them  in  it : 
"  Don't  cheer.     The  poor  devils  are  dying." 
Only  a  man  fit  to  command  could  have  had  that  thought. 

The  battle  was  well  nigh  over.     But  one  ship  of  the 

The  End  at  Hand.    Spanish  squadron  remained,  and  she  was  now  in  the  last  des- 
perate struggle — the  flurry  of  a  monster  of  the  deep.     Her 
officers  peered  with  frowning  brows  through  gilded  glasses  at  the  "  Brooklyn  " 
forging  ahead  far  off  their  port  bow  ;  at  the  "  Oregon  "  within  range  off  the 
port  quarter ;  at  the  "  New  York  "  just  getting  the  range  with  her  beautiful 
8-inch  rifle  astern.     They  shivered  in  unison  with  the  quivering  hulk  as  shot 
after  shot  struck  home.    They  screamed  at  their  crews  and  stamped  and  fumed. 
At  the  guns  their  crews  worked  with  drunken  des- 
A  Marvelous       peration,  but  down  in  the  stoke  hole  the  firemen  plied  their 

Feature  of 

the  Spanish  Fight,  shovels  with  a  will  and  a  skill  that  formed  the  most  sur- 
prising feature  of  the  Spanish  side  of  the  battle.  Because 
of  them  this  was  a  race  worthy  of  the  American  mettle,  for  it  put  to  the 
full  test  the  powers  of  the  men  of  the  three  ships  in  chase. 

In  the  open  sea  they  might  have  led  the  Yankees  for  an  hour  or  more 
beyond,  but  the  strategy  of  Schley  had  cut  them  off,  and  yet  it  was  not  until 
1.15  o'clock — three  hours  and  three-quarters  after  the  first  gun  of  the 
"Oquendo"-: — that  the  "Colon's  "  gallant  captain  lost  all  hope  and  from  a 
race  to  save  the  ship  turned  to  the  work  of  destroying  her,  so  that  we  should 
not  be  able  to  float  the  Stars  and  Stripes  above  her. 

The  "  Oregon  "  had  drawn  up  abeam  of  her  and  was  about  a  mile  away, 
the  shots  from  the  "  New  York  "  astern  were  beginning  to  tell  and  those 
from  the  u  Brooklyn  "  had  all  along  been  smiting  her  in  the  face. 

Baffled  and  beaten  she  turned  to  the  shore,  ran  hard  aground  near 
Tarquino  Point,  fifty  miles  from  Santiago,  and  then  hauled  down  her  flag. 


THE  GREAT  NAVAL  BATTLE  BEFORE  SANTIAGO.    157 

The  most  powerful  sea  force  that  ever  fought  under  the  American  flag  had 
triumphed  ;  the  most  remarkable  race  in  the  history  of  the  world  was  ended. 

Because  the  "  Brooklyn  "  had  forged  so  far  ahead  in  the  race  to  cut  off 
the  escape  of  the  "Colon"  the  "Oregon"  was  the  first  to  arrive  within 
hailing  distance,  and  Captain  Clark  lowered  a  boat  hastily 

and  sent  Lieutenant-Commander  James  K.  Cogswell  in  it  '  Ore8°n"  Take» 

.  Possession, 

to  take  charge  of  the  stranded  ship  with  a  prize  crew. 

As  these  climbed  to  the  deck  of  the  "  Colon  "  a  most  shocking  sight 
met  their  eyes.  It  was  not  that  the  slaughter  had  been  so  great,  nor  was 
the  destruction  of  material  by  the  shells  even  what  had  been  expected.  But 
here  was  a  magnificent  ship,  most  beautifully  fitted  and  appointed,  and  fully 
manned  by  the  flower  of  the  Spanish  Navy,  and  yet  nine-tenths  of  her  crew 
were  in  a  state  of  beastly  intoxication  and  still  drinking.  They  had  won 
the  admiration  of  the  chase  by  their  bravery,  but  now  every  one  of  the  prize 
crew  turned  sick  with  disgust  at  the  sight  of  their  lack  of  manhood.  As 
the  work  of  this  crew  had  been  the  most  striking  feature  of  the  Spanish 
flight,  so  now  their  weakness  served  as  the  lower  side  of  one  of  the  most 
memorable  contests  known  to  naval  annals.  For  when  the  battle  was  over 
and  the  exultant  American  crews  were  cheering  themselves  hoarse  for  joy, 
Captain  John  W.  Philip,  of  the  "  Texas,"  called  his  men  together  on  deck 
and  with  bared  head  said  to  them  : 

"  I  want  to  make  public  acknowledgment  here  that  I  believe  in  God 
the  Father  Almighty.  I  want  all  you  officers  and  men  to  lift  your  hats,  and 
from  your  hearts  offer  silent  thanks  to  the  Almighty." 

Look  on  the  picture  of  the  drunken  Spaniards  of  the  "  Cristobal  Colon  " 
and  then  on  that  of  the  typical  American  naval  seaman  and  his  crew.  His 
crew  to  a  man  removed  their  hats,  for  a  moment  turned  grateful  thoughts 
to  the  mystery  of  the  God  of  battles,  and  then  impulsively  broke  into  the 
heartiest  cheers  for  the  one  who,  like  another .  typical  American  seaman, 
"  feared  his  foes  not  at  all,  but  his  God  a  great  deal." 

During  the  time,  however,  that  the  "  Brooklyn,"  the   "  Oregon "    and 
the  "  New  York  "  had  been  in    chase  of  the  last  of  the 
Spaniards  the  crews  of  the  "  Gloucester,"  the  "  Iowa  "  and      *'*£** ***" 
the  "  Texas "  had  turned    from  destroying  life  to  saving 
it,  and  in  this  they  were  followed  by  the  leaders  when  the  "  Cristobal  Colon  " 
had  been  brought  to  beach. 

The  "  Iowa"  had  tarried  by  the  "  Vizcaya  "  when  the  others  continued 
in  the  chase.  Her  officers  now  make  boast  that  "  in  fifty-six  minutes  from 
the  time  the  first  dashing  Spaniard  was  sighted  all  hands  were  piped  down, 
the  guns  were  secured  and  our  boats  were  in  the  water  to  save  what  was  left 


i58  THE   GREAT   NAVAL  BAYTkE  BEFORE   vSANTlAGO. 

i 

of  the  '  Vizcaya's  '  crew."  On  enxering  upon  this  work  the  crews  of  the 
Yankee  ships  found  the  task  little  if  any  less  dangerous  than  that  of  fighting 
the  Spaniards,  for  every  beached  ship  except  the  "  Colon  "  was  on  fire  when 
she  struck.  Huge  clouds  of  black  smoke  were  rising  a  thousand  feet  in  the 
air  and  drifting  in  a  long  curve  toward  the  lofty  hills  along  shore,  while  at 
frequent  intervals  explosions,  some  of  which  were  small  as  if  of  a  cartridge 
or  two,  and  some  were  tremendous  as  if  of  a  magazine,  made  the  air  and 
sea  tremble  and  vibrate  as  if  with  earthquake  shocks.  With  each  large 
explosion  the  debris  of  broken  deck  and  gear — doubtless  also  of  broken 
human  bodies — was  thrown  into  the  air. 

To  go  alongside  of  a  blazing  warship  is  no  small  task,  but  the  Spanish 
crews  were  crowding  to  the  bows  and  climbing  the  military  masts  and  leap- 
ing into  the  water  to  escape  the  creeping  flames,  and  the  American  boats 
hastened  to  the  rescue.  There  was  need  of  haste  in  the  name  of  humanity, 
too,  for  many  that  leaped  overboard  were  drowning,  and  what  was  worse, 
those  who  reached  shore  were  meeting  here  and  there 

bands  of  pitiless  Cuban  guerrillas  who  liked  nothing  bettei 
Cuban  Guerrillas. 

than  shooting  down  the  helpless  sailors  who  were  clinging 
to  the  drifting  wreckage  or  struggling  toward  the  rocks  of  the  beach. 

When  the  Cubans  appeared  and  opened  fire  there  was  a  mad  rush  of 
Spaniards  back  to  sea,  but  Captain  Evans,  of  the  "Iowa,"  sent  a  file  of 
marines  on  shore  to  protect  the  helpless  Spanish  sailors,  and  told  the 
cowardly  Cubans  that  unless  they  ceased  their  infamous  work  he  would  fire 
on  them  from  the  ship. 

Then  the  rescuing  of  the  Spaniards  went  on  in  peace.  Among  the  first 
to  reach  the  "  Iowa  "  was  the  bland  Eulate,  who  commanded  the  "  Vizcaya." 
He  was  wounded  and  had  to  be  lifted  to  the  low-lying  quarter-deck  of  the 
"  Iowa  "  after  he  was  brought  alongside,  but  once  there  he  stood  up  sailor 
fashion  and  offered  his  sword  to  Captain  Evans.  Captain  Bob  had  said  in 
other  days  that  if  he  were  turned  loose  with-the  "  Massachusetts"  in  Havana 
harbor,  "  they  won't  speak  anything  in  hell  but  Spanish  for  the  next  five 
years."  That's  the  kind  of  a  man  Fighting  Bob  is  in  battle.  But  now  that 
the  enemy  had  been  beaten  he  was  as  gentle  as  only  a  warrior  can  be.  He 
refused  the  proffered  sword  and  gave  the  beaten  Eulate  the  heartiest  welcome 
known  to  the  sea. 

In  like  manner  Wainwright  of  the  "  Gloucester  "  had  gone  to  the  rescue 
of  the  "  Oquendo's  "  crew.  There,  too,  the  Cubans  had  begun  the  work  of 
slaughtering  the  helpless  seamen — they  were  even  devilish  enough  to  fire 
shot  after  shot  into  the  body  of  a  dead  Spanish  officer  that  was  lashed  to  a 
spar  and  adrift  beyond  the  surf.  Indignant  beyond  description,  Wainwright 


THE  GREAT  NAVAL  BATTLE  BEFORE  SANTIAGO.    159 

ordered  them  away,  declaring  that  he  would  fire  on  them  with  6-pounders  if 
they  did  not  immediately  leave  the  beach,  and,  greatly  amazed  to  learn  that 
the  Spanish  lives  were  to  be  spared,  the  Cubans  fled  to  the  brush. 

It  is  a  pitiful  fact  that  the  Spanish  survivors  on  the  "  Oquendo,"  too, 
as  they  saw  the  American  boats  approaching,  thought  that  death  instead  of 
rescue  awaited  them,  and  to  soften  the  American  hearts 

began  crying  with  trembling  lips  :  Prisoners  Who 

..  ,T.  .  .  .,      .          Expected  to  be 

"  Viva  los  Americanos  !  "   and  begging  the  While  in         Murdered. 

plaintive  voices  for  mercy. 

The  captain  of  the  u  Oquendo  "  was  the  only  officer  who  proved  unable 
to  face  defeat,  for  after  his  ship  grounded  he  fired  a  pistol  ball  into  his  brain 
and  died  instantly. 

The  fire  on  the  "  Vizcaya  "  seems  to  have  wrought  quicker  havoc  with 
ship  and  crew  than  on  any  other  ship.     Perhaps  she  had  a  greater  amount 
of  woodwork  between  decks.     Any  way,  when  the  Ameri- 
cans came  along  to  save  her  crew,  they  found  her  plates  red     Burned  as  Th«y 
hot  in  places,  and  some  of  the  Spanish,  in  trying  to  escape    thc  «4Vizca  a  f. 
to   the  boats   by   climbing   down   ropes,    were    painfully 
burned  by  contact  with  these  plates.     A  view  through  the  wide  rents  in  her 
stern,  where  the  projectiles  had  passed,  showed  the  naked  bodies  of  many 
men,  bloody  and  torn,  roasting  as  if  in  a  furnace.     Nearly  half  the  crew  of 
the  "  Vizcaya"  were  killed  in  battle  or  lost  their  lives  through  fire  and  water 
and  at  the  hands  of  Cuban  dastards  at  the  beach. 

Among  the  men  of  the  "  Oquendo "  rescued  from  the  beach  by  the 
"  Gloucester1"  was  the  Spanish  Admiral  Cervera,  He  was  found  to  be  pain- 
fully wounded  in  the  arm.  As  he  was  helped  on  board 
the  "  Gloucester,"  Captain  Wainwright  met  him  at  the  gang- 
way  and  congratulated  him  on  the  fight  he  had  made — a 
little  ceremony  that  is  dear  to  the  heart  of  every  sailor,  but  in  a  case  like 
this  means  no  more  than  a  Spanish  compliment.  It  was  a  day  of  marvel- 
ous revenges.  It  was  Wainwright,  of  the  lost  "Maine,"  who  captured  the 
Spanish  admiral,  as  well  as  sank  at  least  one  torpedo-boat  destroyer ;  and 
it  was  the  "Texas,"  almost  a  sister  ship  of  the  "Maine,"  and  the  only  one 
of  the  "  Maine's  "  class,  that  drove  the  Spanish  flagship  to  destruction. 

Later  when  the  "  Iowa  "  and  the  "  Gloucester  "  had  both  returned  to 
posts  off  Santiago,  Captain  Robley  Evans  sent  an  invitation  to  the  captured 
admiral  to  come  on  board  the  "  Iowa  "  and  occupy  the 

admiral's  quarters  with   which  the   "  Iowa  "  is  provided.        The  Pink « 

Naval  Etiquette. 

Of    course    Cervera    accepted.       As    he   approached    the 

"  Iowa  "  the  marine  corps  was  drawn  up  in  proper  line  on  the  quarter  deck, 


j6o          THE  GREAT   NAVAL   BATTLE   BEFORE  vSANTIAGO. 

with  buglers  handy  by  ;  the  captain  with  his  officers  alongside  stood  at 
the  gangway  ;  Captain  Eulate,  with  his  sword  on,  was  beside  Evans,  and 
then  as  the  handsome  old  gentleman  was  helped  up  the  side,  the  buglers 
sounded  the  old  familiar  blare,  the  marines  as  one  man  presented  arms  with 
the  old  familiar  crash,  and  the  officers  with  hats  off,  bowed  low  to  the  dis- 
tinguished prisoner.  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  could  not  have  ordered  it  better 
or  more  to  the  Spanish  taste. 

And  then  there  was  the  burial  of  the  dead.  Several  wounded  men 
were  taken  on  the  "  Iowa "  and  some  died.  These  were  sewn  in  canvas 
hammocks,  the  crew  and  prisoners  were  mustered  on  deck,  a  Spanish  chaplain 
read  the  service  of  the  dead,  and  a  guard  of  marines  fired  volleys  when  the 
bodies  were  sliding  from  the  tilting  board. 

Nor  was  this  all,  for  many  of  the  prisoners  were  brought  on  board  half 
naked,  and  the  Americans  were  quick  to  supply  their  needs.  Admiral  Cer- 
vera  had  good  reason  to  speak  kindly  of  the  treatment  he  and  his  men  had 
received  after  their  extraordinary  defeat. 

We  come  now  to  the  comparison  of  ships  and  damages  and  losses  of 
men.  In  numbers  the  Spanish  brought  four  ships  and  two  torpedo-boat 
destroyers  out  of  the  harbor. 

Squadron  jt  ^s  ^-^  ^    t^e  ofgcers  of  an  Austrian    cruiser  that 

for  Squadron.  . 

arrived  during  the  battle  that  a  Spanish  gunboat  came  out 
also,  but  none  of  the  reporters  mentioned  her,  and  if  she  came  out  she  had 
no  part  in  the  fight. 

To  meet  these  six  vessels  Commodore  Schley  had  four  ships  and  two 
converted  yachts  on  hand.  The  u  Indiana  "  was  near  by,  and  the u  New 
York,"  by  her  superior  speed,  showed  herself  to  be  actually  within  reach, 
though  hull  down  to  eastward  when  the  fight  began.  The  actual  fighting 
was  done,  however,  by  the  "  Brooklyn,"  the  "  Iowa,"  the  "  Oregon  "  and 
the  "  Texas."  The  near  presence  of  the  other  two,  like  that  of  the  torpedo- 
boat  "  Ericsson,"  Captain  Usher,  was  certain  to  have  a  moral  effect  on  the 
enemy,  although  their  guns  had  very  little  physical  effect  indeed.  It  is 
entirely  fair  to  say,  however,  that  had  the  Americans  manned  the  Spanish 
squadron,  and  Spaniards  ours,  the  "  New  York  "  and  her  consorts  would 
have  had  ample  time  to  reach  the  scene  before  the  end  of  the  battle,  unless, 
indeed,  the  dash  for  liberty  had  opened  a  way  through  the  line  at  once. 

In  numbers,  that  is  to  say,  the  two  squadrons  were  equal.  In  fighting 
power  the  preponderance  was,  of  course,  on  our  side.  The  torpedo-boat 
destroyers  outclassed  our  two  converted  yachts  at  least  three  to  one,  but  on 
the  Spanish  cruisers  there  were  of  guns  of  the  first  class  two  loinch  rifles  and 
six  n^nch,  while  on  our  ships  there  were  six  1 2-inch  and  eight  3-iuch  rifles. 


THE  GREAT  NAVAI,  BATTLE  BEFORE  SANTIAGO.       161 

Of  the  second  class  (not  the  so-called  secondary  battery),  they  had  forty 
guns  of  from  5^  to  6-inch  calibre  and  six  of  about  5-inch,  while  we  had 
twenty-four  8-inch,  ten  6-inch,  twelve  5-inch  and  six  4-inch  guns.  We  had 
fourteen  big  guns  to  their  eight,  and  the  least  of  ours  was  an  inch  heavier 
than  the  best  of  theirs,  while  of  medium  guns  we  had  fifty-two  to  their  forty- 
six,  and  of  these  twenty-four  of  ours  were  8-inch  or  almost  large  enough 
to  be  counted  among  the  huge  guns.  And  this  comparison  is  to  be  espe- 
cially considered,  for  it  portrays  the  difference  between  American  and  Con- 
tinental ideas  in  arming  ships  just  as  the  results  of  the  battle  show  the 
difference  between  American  and  Spanish  crews. 

Of  the  secondary  batteries  a  word  must  be  said.     The  American  ships 
may  be  called  for  one  reason  the  porcupines  of  the  sea.     It  is  guessed  that 
no  one  will  say  they  fight  like  porcupines,  but  it  is  plainly 
true  that  they  bristle  like  the  thorny  beasts— bristle  with    G"ns  Brist|}ne  "ike 

Porcupine  Quills. 

tiny  6-pounders  and  smaller  guns.     It  has  long  been  the 

fashion  to  speak  of  these  slender  weapons  as  murdering  guns.  They  were 
expected  to  hurl  such  storms  of  small  projectiles  upon  the  exposed  portions 
of  an  enemy's  ships  that  no  man  could  remain  there  and  live.  But  the 
ships  of  Spain  had  a  plenty  of  these  guns — they  carried  sixty-six  in  all,  and 
yet  the  American  commanders,  from  Commodore  Schley  on  the  "  Brooklyn  " 
to  Captain  Wainwright  on  the  "  Gloucester,"  fought  their  ships  from  bridge 
and  open  deck.  As  between  the  big  ships  these  secondary  batteries  counted 
not  at  all.  Nevertheless  we  could  not  do  without  them,  for  when  it  came  to 
beating  off  the  thin-sided  torpedo-boat  destroyers,  these  were  the  weapons 
to  do  it ;  for  in  Yankee  hands  they  were  like  a  twelve-gauge  shotgun  to 
a  quail  shooter.  They  were  trained  for  snap  shots  and  worked  like  a  lead 
pump — like  the  stream  from  the  nozzle  of  a  fireman's  hose.  The  crews 
of  the  torpedo-boat  destroyers  were  all  swept  dead  from  the  decks,  it  is  true, 
but  the  boats  themselves  were  literally  shot  full  of  holes  and  down  they 
went.  The  holes  were  large  enough. 

As  to  the  damages  to  the  ships,  the  difference  is  well-nigh  but  not  quite 
infinite.  The  Spanish  squadron  was  almost  annihilated,  while  the  American 
escaped  with  but  trifling  injuries. 

Three  of  the  Spaniards  were  driven  ashore  within  less    One  s*»adron  D*' 

,  stroycd — One 

than  twelve  miles  of  their  exit,  all  in  a  sinking  condition,  Unhurt. 

all  with  their  superstructures  (that  is,  the  light  upper  por- 
tions) wholly  wrecked  and  all  on  fire  beyond  the  control  of  their  crews.    The 
havoc  wrought,  if  told  in  detail,  would  seem  incredible,  and  all  this  was  due 
to  the  able  marksmen  who  stood  behind  the  American  guns. 

The  "  Cristobal   Colon  "  was  injured  less  than  the  others — just  why, 

XI 


162 


THE  GREAT  NAVAI,  BATTLE  BEFORE  SANTIAGO. 


unless  it  was  because  her  speed  made  our  gunners  over  anxious,  lias  not  been 
determined,  but  even  she  was  driven  ashore  at  last.  There  is  hope  that  she 
may  be  gotten  off  the  beach  and  repaired.  As  for  the  others,  the  experts 
hope  they  may  find  half  the  guns  still  serviceable. 

On  our  side  the  "  Brooklyn  "  was  struck  forty-five  times,  the  "  Iowa  " 
nine  and  the  "  Texas  "  got  one  in  the  ash  hoist.  Those  that  hit  the 
"  Brooklyn  "  were  all  from  the  medium  guns  —  in  fact,  all  the  projectiles 
that  struck  either  of  our  ships  were  of  medium  size.  The  Spaniards  could 
not  work  the  big  ones  effectively. 

And  so  it  happened  that  when  the  battle  was  over  and  every  one  of  the 
Spanish  ships  had  disappeared  under  the  sea  or  lay  smoking  on  the  rocks, 
every  Yankee  ship  was  afloat  with  colors  flying  and  ready 
to  ^°  it  all  over  again  could  Camara's  fleet  have  arrived 
opportunely. 

The  losses  of  men  were  equally  significant.     A  shell  in 

the  "Brooklyn"  killed  one  good  man  —  Chief  Yeoman  George  H.  Ellis,  of 
New  York,  for  which  his  ship  was  named,  and  wounded  two  more. 

On  the  "Texas"  the  shock  of  her  1  2-inch  guns  fired  athwartships 
knocked  one  man  down  a  hatchway  and  broke  his  leg. 

As  for  the  enemy  the  official  returns  are  not  complete,  and  it  is  doubt- 
ful if  they  will  ever  be  accurately  made.  There  were  about  300  killed,  160 
wounded  (a  significant  contrast  of  numbers),  and  the  remainder  of  the  six 
crews  —  perhaps  1,800  men  —  were  made  prisoners.  Nearly  500  of  their  men 
shed  their  blood  in  a  wild  dash  for  liberty,  and  three  of  ours  bled  to  stop 
them.  It  was  not  without  good  reason  that  Fighting  Bob  said,  when  the 
battle  was  over  :  "  God  and  the  gunners  were  on  our  side." 


Doit  Over  Again 


ADMIRAL,   STANTON'S    DIAGRAM  OP  THE  BATTLE. 


TERRIFIC  EFFECTS   OF   OUR  BIG  GUNS.  163 

TERRIFIC  EFFECTS  OF  OUR  BIG  GUNS  FIRING  UPON 

CERVERA'S  SHIPS. 

BY  PAUL  ST.  CLAIR  MURPHY, 

(Senior  Marine  Officer  of  the  "  Brooklyn.*') 

TEN  days  after  the  destruction  of  Cervera's  squadron  by  our  great 
battleships,  the  Board  of  Survey  made  a  careful  examination  of  the 
wrecks  in  order  to  definitely  ascertain  the  specific  damage,  and 
effects  of  the  shots  fired  ,by  our  guns  of  different  calibre.  The 
result  of  this  investigation  is  extremely  interesting,: 

Of  four  ships  examined  three  had  been  blown  up  by  tru.ir  magazines, 
and  of  these  one  had  every  magazine  exploded,  and  torpedoes  in  addition, 
yet  on  none  of  them  was  there  the  same  effect  as  that  produced  by  the 
explosion  on  the  "Maine."  There  was  no  upheaval  of  the  keel  and  little 
bulging  of  the  plates  except  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  explosion. 
The  effect  was  nearly  altogether  upward,  in  some  cases  the  protective  deck 
being  lifted  ;  but  outside  of  the  springing  of  a  few  plates  the  hulls  were  intact. 

The  examination  of  the  wrecks  of  the  Spanish  ships,  three  of  which 
were  burned  and  all  their  magazines  exploded,  was  made,  first,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  ascertaining  the  effect  of  American  gunnery,  and,'  second,  to  find  out 
the  effect  of  internal  explosion.  The  awful  effect  of  well  aimed  shots  wa* 
demonstrated  in  the  rapid  sinking  of  the  fleet.  When  it  is  remembered  that 
the  "Oquendo"  and  the  "Infanta  Maria  Teresa"  were  both  sunk  within 
forty  minutes  of  the  time  they  left  the  entrance,  the  work  of  American 
gunners  may  well  be  considered  remarkable,  especially  when  it  is  known 
that  the  "  Oquendo  "  was  struck  more  than  fifty-five  times  and  the  "  Infanta 
Maria  Teresa  "  thirty-seven  times  by  large  projectiles. 

The  record  of  the  damages  to  these  ships  is  a  world  record  and  is  fraught 
with  great  interest.  The  fight  started  at  a  range  of  6,000  yards-,  or  about 
three  miles,  while  at  2,000  or  2,500  yards  two  torpedo  boats  and  two  cruisers 
were  smashed.  The  closest  fighting  was  done  at  1,100  and  1,000  yards,  by 
the  "  Brooklyn "  and  "  Vizcaya,"  with  annihilating  effect  on  the  Spanish 
ship.  But  two  projectiles  larger  than  8-inch  struck  a  vessel,  both  of  these 
either  12  or  13-inch,  being  put  through  the  "  Infanta  Maria  Teresa."  The 
8-inch,  6-inch,  5-inch  and  6-pounders  did  the  bulk  of  the  work  and  were 
frightfully  destructive. 

Some  idea  of  the  effect  can  be  obtained  from  a  brief  summary  of  the 
injuries  to  each  ship  as  found  by  the  Examining  Board.  The  Board  had 


T"q  TERRIFIC  EFFECTS  OF  OUR  BIG  GUNS. 

upon  it  such  capable  men  as  Executive  Officer  Rogers,  of  the  "Iowa"; 
Executive  Officer  Mason,  of  the  "  Brooklyn,"  an  expert  on  the  effect  of  shells 
on  armor ;  Lieutenant  Huessler,  of  the  "Texas,"  who  has  made  some  splendid 
improvements  in  gun  firing  on  that  ship,  and  Assistant  Naval  Constructor 
Hobson,  of  "  Merrirnac"  fame,  who  has.a  reputation  for  knowledge  of  ship 
construction.  Briefly,  these  officers  found  : 

"  Cristobol  Colon,"  battleship,  first-class,  with  six  inches  of  steel  for 
protection  not  only  on  the  water  line,  but  around  the  6-inch  guns.  This 
ship  was  hit  with  large  projectiles  but  six  times,  as  it  kept 
t  of  ranSe  nearly  the  whole  time,  passing  behind  the 
other  ships  for  protection,  and  finally  making  a  run  for  it. 
The  hits  were  made  by  the  "  Brooklyn  "  and  "  Oregon."  One  8-inch  shell 
went  into  the  port  side  of  the  ward  room,  and  left  on  the  starboard  side 
without  exploding,  but  cleaned  out  everything  in  the  room.  A  5-inch  shell 
hit  just  above  the  armor  belt,  an'd  a  6-inch  shell  struck  her  on  the  bow. 
None  of  the  injuries  was  sufficient  to  put  her  out  of  action,  and  they  were 
not  as  serious  as  those  received  by  the  "  Brooklyn,"  at  one  time  her  sole 
antagonist.  The  statement  that  the  u  Brooklyn  "  was  overhauling  her,  and 
that  the  "  Oregon's  "  terrific  13-inch  guns  were  shooting  nearer  and  nearer, 
and  that  escape  was  impossible,  seems  to  explain  her  surrender. 

The  "  Viscaya,"  armored  cruiser,  of  same  class  as  battleships  "  Texas" 
and  u  Maine,"  cwo  n. 5-inch  guns  and  ten  5. 5-inch  guns,  with  protections 
ten  and  twelve  inches  thick,  double  and  treble  that  of  the  "Brooklyn." 
This  ship  was  the  special  prey  of  the  "  Brooklyn  "  and  the  "  Oregon," 
although  the  "  Texas,"  after  her  destructive  work  on  the  "  Oquendo  "  and 
"Teresa,"  aided  a  little  at  long  range.  The  "Viscaya,"  exclusive  of 
i-pounders  and  rapid-fire  hits,  which  swept  her  deck,  was  hit  with  large 
projectiles  fourteen  times,  and  6-pounders  eleven  times.  The  8-inch  guns  of 
the  u  Brooklyn  "  and  "  Oregon,"  and  the  6-inch  guns  on  the  "  Oregon  "  and 
5-inch  on  the  "  Brooklyn,"  tore  her  structure  above  the  armor  belt  almost 
into  shreds,  while  the  6-pounders  and  i-pounders  made  it  too  warm  for  men 
to  stand  at  the  guns.  The  "Texas"  got  in  a  few  6-inch  shots,  and  the 
u  Icwa  "  landed  a  couple  of  4-inch  shells.  No  13  or  12-inch  shells  struck  her. 

The   "Infanta   Maria   Teresa,"  the  flagship,  of  the  same   build  as  the 

'•  V7iscaya,"  was  badly  punished,  and  was  the   only  one  of  the  four  ships  hit 

by  12  or  13-inch   projectiles.     Two  of  that  size  went  into 

her,  and  the  position  of  one  would  tend  to  demonstrate  that 

Slaughter  on  th-i 

"Viscaya."       it  was  fired   by  the  "  Texas,"  the   other  being  from  the 

"Indiana,"    "Oregon"    or    "Iowa."      An    8-inch    shell, 

undoubtedly  from   the    "  Brooklyn,"    because  she  was  the  only  ship  in  line, 


TERRIFIC  EFFECTS  OF  OUR  BIG  GUNS.  r6s 

with  the  "  Maria  Teresa's"  head  as  she  turned  west,  entered  just  forward  of 
the  beam  on  her  port  side,  and  exploding  inside  cleaned  out  the  deck  with 
four  gun  crews.  This  is  the  shot  that  Cervera  said  came  ,from  the 
"Brooklyn"  and  set  fire  to  the  ship.  The  "  Teresa's"  great  difficulty  and 
one  that  compelled  her  hurried  surrender  was  that  all  her  fire  mains  were 
qut  and  she  was  unable  to  extinguish  the  fires  that  were  driving  her  men 
from  the  guns. 

The  "Almirante  Oquendo,"  armored  cruiser,  same  class  as  the 
"  Vizcaya  "  and  the  u  Teresa,"  went  through  the  most  terrible  baptism  of  fire 
of  any  of  the  ships  except  the  torpedo  boats.  Her  upper  works  were  one 
ragged  mass  of  cut  up  steel  and  her  decks  were  •  covered  with  dead  and 
dying.  She  was  hit  on  the  port  side  four  times  by  8-inch  shells,  three  times 
by  4-inch  shells  (probably  from  the  "Iowa"),  twice  by  6-inch  and  forty-two 
times  by  6-pounders.  The  wounds  made  by  i-pounders  show  that  she  met 
the  fire  of  the  entire  fleet.  One  of  the  findings  of  the  Board  of  Survey  was 
that  an  8-in  shell  had  struck  the  forward  turreut  just  where  the  gun  open- 
ing was,  and  that  every  man  in  the  turret  was  killed,  the  officer  standing 
in  the  firing  hood  being  still  in  that  position. 

"  The  secondary  battery  fire  of  the  '  Brooklyn  '  was  really  terrible.  It 
drove  my  men  from  their  guns,  and  when  you  were  at  close  range  did  fright- 
ful work,"  said  Captain  Eulate  two  days  after  Schley's  defeat  of  the  Spanish 
squadron,  and  a  rescued  officer  of  the  u  Oquendo"  said  that  nearly  one-half 
of  the  terrible  damage  to  that  ship  was  done  by  one  and  6-pounders,  which 
constitute  the  secondary  battery  of  the  "  Brooklyn." 

The  battle  orderlies  will  merit  a  place  among  those  whose  conduct  is 
worthy  of  special  mention.  They  were  on  the  move  constantly  bearing 
battle  orders  from  Commodore  Schley  and  Captan  Cook,  and  in  no  instance 
did  they  fail  in  the  prompt  and  intelligent  performance  of  their  responsible 
duty.  The  signal  men  occupied  very  exposed  positions  during  the  action  and 
rendered  excellent  service.  Signal  halyards  and  numbers  and  speed  cones 
were  riddled  by  small  projectiles  and  fragments  of  bursting  shell,  casualties 
that  show  in  what  a  zone  of  danger  the  signal  men  peformed  their  duties. 
Signalmen  Coombs  and  Mclntire  and  Battle  Orderlies  Rail  and  Davis  were 
so  near  Yeoman  Ellis  when  he  was  killed  that  they  were  spattered  with  his 
blood.  None  showed  more  unflinching  courage  than  the  men  in  the  military 
tops,  who  stood  by  their  guns,  delivering  their  fire  with  unerring  precision, 
undismayed  by  the  projectiles  that  were  flying  about  them  and  striking  in 
their  immediate  vicinity.  Private  Stockbridge,  the  only  man  on  the  sick  list, 
climbed  into  the  maintop  at  the  signal  for  battle,  where  he  remained  until 
end  of  the  action,  doing  good  work  at  his  gun. 


1 66  THE   DEADLIEST  VESSEL  EVER   CONCEIVED. 


THE  DEADLIEST  VESSEL  EVER  CONCEIVED. 

The  Dynamite  Cruiser  "  Vesuvius "  in  Action. 
BY  HARRY-DALE  HALLMARK. 

44  She's  a  concentrated,  fragile  form  of  might ; 
She's  a  daring,  vicious  thing  with  a  rending,  deadly  sting — 
And  she  asks  no  odds  nor  quarter  in  the  fight." 

—JAMES  BARNES. 

EVERY  man  who  goes  down  into   the  hold  of  the   dynamite  cruiser 
"  Vesuvius  "  for  service  is  a  hero.     To  quote  Mr.  Barnes,  "  She's  a 
pent  volcano  stoppered   at  top  notch,"  and  no  man  down  in  her 
knows  at  what  exact  second  the  valve  may  be  lifted  ! 
Seventy  men  sleep  in  this  volcano !    Not  at  its  base,  but  right  in  the 
heart  of  its  crater.     Ay,  not  only  sleep,  but  when  the  sea  rolls  and  the  great 
15-inch  guns  are  dealing  to  the  foe  remorseless,  unseen,  silent  death,  these 


THIS  is  THE  PROJECTILE  THROWN  BY  THE  VESUVIUS'  GUNS. 

It  is  filled  with  guncotton,  the  greatest  explosive  known,  and  the   devastation  caused  by  it  is 
something  awful.     It  can  be  exploded  either  on  land  or  in  water. 

men  are  shut  down  in  the  crater  with  death  at  every  point  of  the  compass. 
Every  second  they  do  that  dreaded  thing  which  is  so  fearful  it  has  been  put 
into  a  colloquialism :  "Walkover  dynamite."  Walk  over  it?  Why,  they 
sleep  withjt  as  bedfellows  ;  they  know  that  it  is  their  floor,  walls,  roof.  Each 
man  of  that  seventy  takes  the  greatest  chance  in  the  navy.  So  direful,  so 
dread  did  service  seem  on  that  new  invention  with  the  deadly  name,  that 
men  were  drafted  for  service — none  volunteered.  For  the  sailor  knew  that 
beside  being  charged  like  a  gun  ready  for  a  fuse,  that  cockleshell  could  roll 
in  a  way  to  madden  one,  and  keep  her  decks  so  wet  that  in  an  engagement 
fresh  air  could  only  be  remembered. 

But  since  that  Thursday,  of  July  ist,  when  the  slinking,  silent  thing 
crept  up  in  the  night  and  sent  three  noiseless  shots  into  Santiago  that 
crumbled  a  fort  as  if  it  were  rice  paper,  and  threw  solid  mortar  hundreds  of 


THE  DEADLIEST  VESSEL  EV^R   CONCEIVED.  167 

feet  in  air,  as  a  bull  would  toss  a  hare,  since  then,  men  have  begged  to  be 
enlisted  there.     They  will  willingly  go  down  into  the  little  cubby  holes  and 
sleep,  and  eat  and  never  stand  erect,  just  for  a  chance  at 
glory.     Every  man  has  made  up  his  mind  to  be  a  Rich-         Clean  Deat 

is  the  Only 

mond  Hobson !     They  want  the  honor  of  belonging  to  a  Recommendation. 
crew  that  is  being  wired  and   cabled  about.     They  know 
that  the  "  Vesuvius  "  has  marked  a  new  era  in  warfare ;  she  is  to  '98  what 
the  "  Monitor  "  and  "  Merrimac  "  were  to  '62.     She  is  making  nations  gasp 
and  hold  their  breaths.     She  has  proved  two  great  things  to  naval  life  the 
world  over ;  that  she  can  make  a  record  of  over  twenty-one  knots  an  hour, 
and  that  she  can  take  the  most  accurate  aim  of  any  gun  afloat. 

Men  want  to  be  behind  such  guns  as  these !  And  the  cleanliness  of  the 
position  has  naught  to  do  with  their  desire,  although  much  of  the  outward 
semblance  of  warfare  is  removed  when  an  officer  can  stand  in  his  dress  suit, 
if  wishing,  fire  a  gun  which  will  knock  a  hole  as  large  as  a  church  out  of 
the  side  of  a  fort,  and  then  go  down  to  dinner  without  a  fleck  on  his  linen. 

Every  one  likes  to  be  in  the  cabinet  of  power,  and  the  men  of  the 
"  Vesuvius "  will  have  a  history  worth  its  future  telling.  But  they/  pay 
for  their  wish.  The  little  cruiser  is  only  twenty-six  feet  six  inches  wide, 
and  in  this  width  are  packed  seventy  men,  air  tubes,  hundreds  of  pounds  of 
guncotton,  boilers,  steering-gear,  machinery,  kitchen  and  berths.  At  night 
when  they  lie  down  to  sleep  with  the  dynamite,  they  know  that  one  small 
shell  whizzing  their  way  would  send  men  and  boat  to  the  bottom  as  rapidly  as 
one  of  their  shells  send  earth  skyward.  "  Why,  I'm  even  afraid  to  snore  in  my 
sleep,"  said  a  sailor  "  for  fear  I'll  discharge  the  guncotton,  and  as  for  kicking 
in  my  sleep — why,  I'm  as  quiet  as  a  drugged  cobra."  "  We  slide  along,"  says 
another  ;  "  we're  afraid  at  first  to  walk,  I  went  on  tiptoe  for  the  first  three 
days."  "  Well,  I  went  on  my  head  and  knees  the  day  it  was  so  rough,"  said 
a  third.  "A  fellow  has  to  learn  to  walk  on  any  part  of -his  anatomy  in  this 
ship  when  the  sea  is  rough." 

As  for  the  roll,  however,  the  "  Vesuvius  "  men  have  a  better  time  of  it 
than  the  men  in  the  torpedo  boat.  An  inside  view  of  the  "  MacKenzie" 
gives  a  view  of  how  much  discomfort  a  man  can  endure.  But  he  can't  be 
counted  on  to  live  or  keep  sane.  There  was  direful  discomfort  in  those 
torpedo  boats  that  kept  Admiral  Sampson's  fleet  from  making  its  best  time. 
In  a  good  sea  there  is  no  standing  erect ;  it  is  really  as  the  sailor  put  it — one 
has  to  navigate  on  any  part  of  one's  anatomy.  The  heat  is  intense  when 
the  boilers  are  under  pressure.  The  decks  are  round  and  smooth,  and  there 
is  nothing  but  the  tiny  steering  hood  and  the  rapid-fire  gun  to  grasp,  should 
a  wave  try  to  take  you  with  it.  The  seas  sweep  entirely  over  the  deck. 


1  68  THE  DEADLIEST  VESSEL  EVER  CONCEIVED. 

The  hatches  are  closed  and  a  rubber  attachment  put  over  them  to  keep  a 
drop  of  water  from  the  torpedoes.  Fans  are  set  in  action,  but  the  cramped 
position,  the  narrow  quarters,  the  heat  are  enough,  continued,  to  drive  men 
insane.  Five  men  did  go  rnad  —  raving  mad  —  in  a  French  torpedo  boat  that 
was  kept  out  at  sea  a  good  while.  It  is  not  the  same  thing  which  drives 
stokers  crazy,  but  the  baffled,  caged,  seemingly  hopeless  condition  which 
these  men  fight.  They  can't  stretch  or  walk,  and  they  are  down  there  like 
monkeys  in  a  cage.  The  "  Vesuvius  "*is  better  than  these.  She  is  nearly  a 
dozen  feet  wider  than  the  "  MacKenzie,"  but  she  carries  far  more  men.  But 
our  American  sailors  are  no  more  cowards  than  our  privates,  and  men  are 
wild  to  go  now  on  the  "pent  volcanoes  stoppered  at  top  notch,"  either 
torpedo-boats  or  the  deadly  dynamiter. 

But  just  think  what  the  "Vesuvius"  can  do!     What  she  proved  by 
hard,  indisputable  facts,  that  she  can  accomplish  !     One  shell  alone  from  her 
darkened  bow  sent  a  glare  of  light  to  heaven  as  if  some 
"'          one  ^a(^  Put  t^ie  ^e^ows  on  Vulcan's  furnace,  knocked  into 


Power  of 
mite  Shells.        a  fort  and  rocked  the  great  ironclads  at  anchor  ! 

Think  what  it  means  to  accurately  aim  one  hundred 

pounds  of  dynamite  at  an  object.  No  chances  are  taken  with  the  Zalinski 
gun.  The  great  naval  authorities  of  America  say  it  has  the  most  accurate 
aim  of  any  gun  on  land  or  afloat  ever  since  Fiske  tampered  so  successfully 
with  it.  He  invented  an  electrical  appliance  by  which  the  gun  refused  to 
fire  unless  in  range.  Men  who  know,  say  there  never  was  such  an  aim 
obtainable  with  a  gun.  Where  it  is  far  ahead  of  the  torpedo-boat  in  firing, 
lies  in  the  fact  that  air,  not  water,  resists  the  shells. 

A  man  who  has  studied  the  question  and  speaks  with  authority  says 
the  torpedo-boat  is  really  the  last  boat  to  be  afraid  of  by  a  moving  ship.  It 
is  only  to  the  anchored  vessel  that  the  water  torpedo  is  dangerous.  Take, 
for  instance,  a  cruiser  with  10,000  tons  displacement,  moving  through  the 
water  at  a  good  rate.  The  tremendous  displacement  at  her  side,  the  great 
current  she  generates,  would  divert  a  torpedo's  course.  But  the  "  Vesuvius  " 
fires  her  terrible  projectile  into  the  air,  at  an  elevation  sometimes  of  over 
four  hundred  feet  high  ;  then  gathering  itself  for  a  -terrific  plunge,  gaining 
speed,  gravitation  assisting  it,  the  shell  plunges,  point  first,  right  into  its 
object  !  It  does  not  warn  its  enemies.  Silent  compressed  air  does  the  work, 
and  there  is  the  carnage,  but  none  of  the  smoke  or  noise  of  battle.  It  is  as 
sudden,  as  final,  as  quiet,  as  speedy,  as  terrific  as  an  earthquake.  It  is  man's 
imitation  of  seismic  force. 

It  is  the  thunderbolt  in  the  mortal  hands  of  skill.  It  may  not  always 
strike  on  the  object,  but  this  is  a  trick  of  the  gunner's,  for  what  Zalinski 


THE   DEADLIEST  VESSEL  EVER   CONCEIVED.  169 

claimed  for  the  gun,  that  it  can  do — fall  in  the  water  near  a  ship  and  blow 
its  outsides  in,  or  craftily  sinking  below  the  keel,  blow  the  bottom  to  the  stars. 
The  acreage  of  damage  by  dynamite  is  large  and  final.  The  torpedo 
striking  the  water  near  a  vessel  is  as  deadly  as  if  the  ship  were  struck  amid- 
ships. Instead  of  dense  smoke  it  will  send  a  wall  of  water  100  feet  high  to 
hide  its  immediate  work,  but  this  is  simply  its  artistic,  scenic  trick ;  it  is  the 
ivy  to  the  blasted  oak.  It  explodes  five  seconds  after  striking,  and  the 
clever  gunner,  taking  this  into  line,  can  play  all  sorts  of 
tricks  with  his  fearful  toy.  He  can  plant  his  horrible  Surprising  Accuracy 

r  r          n  °f   Flrmg- 

charges  on  the  four  sides  of  a  square  of  a  fleet. 

How  delighted  "  Fighting  Bob  "  Evans  must  be  over  Thursday's  achieve- 
ments off  Santiago.  No  man  in  the  fleet  watched  the  new  little  cockle- 
shell's work  more  than  the  captain  of  the  "  Iowa."  He  always  had  faith  in 
her  ultimate  success.  He  told  Mr.  Edwin  Cramp  that  if  he  had  had  con- 
trol of  her  for  three  months  longer  down  in  those  South  American  waters 
several  years  ago,  she  would  have  amazed  the  naval  world  then. 

The  man  who  invented  her  never  intended  that  the  time  fuse  they  tried 
should  be  used ;  but  the  government  was  experimenting  on  its  own  account, 
and  the  consequence  was  the  gun  never  went  true.  Immediately  it  was 
decided  that  the  pneumatic  dynamite  gun  was  not  any  good  afloat.  .  On 
land,  fine  ;  let  it  stay  there !  But  there  was  a  little  band  of  zealots  who 
cajoled  and  coerced  and  won  their  way  in  not  having  the  little  volcano 
dismantled.  The  government  by  successive  stages  followed  out  the  Scotch- 
man's proverb  of  "  keep  a  thing  seven  years,  turn  it  over  and  keep  it  another 
seven."  Ten  years  ago  the  "Vesuvius"  startled  both  continents  by  its  trial 
trip  before  Secretary  Whitney,  going  at  a  speed  of  22.947  knots  an  hour. 
The  Americans  claim  this  to  be  the  fastest  record  ever  made  and  gladly 
hailed  themselves  the  champions  of  the  world  in  shipbuilding.  The  British 
papers  made  a  demur  from  this  "  bombastic  declaration,"  as  they  termed  it, 
and  quoted  four  or  five  other  trips.  But  there  is  a  large  and  generally  ac- 
cepted opinion  which  put  the  "  Vesuvius  "  as  the  fastest  vessel  afloat  at  that 
time. 

That  her  conception,  her  guns,  her  method  is  purely  American  no  one 
on  either  continent  doubts.  She  is  the  heroine  of  the  marine  engineering 
world  to-day,  as  Dewey  and  Schley  and  Hobson  are  of  the  human 
world.  It  remains  simply  this,  that  America  has  probably  revolutionized 
warfare  at  sea.  So  the  day  of  the  minority  has  become  the  pledge  of  the 
majority,  and  the  little  band  of  believers,  Captain  Evans  among  them,  are 
just  hurrahing  away  !  Poor  little  craft !  She  has  been  flopping  around  for 
ten  weary,  uneventful  years,  called  the  crazy  fancy  of  someone's  cracked 


Construction 
and  Cost. 


170  THE   DEADLIEST  VESSEL   EVER   CONCEIVED. 

brain  ;  no  one  wanting  her,  every  man  in  the  service  swearing  he  wouldn't 
serve  on  her  unless  drafted  ;  unmanned,  misunderstood,  she  was  a  pathetic 
thing.  Now  her  hour  has  come !  If  she  has  any  intelligence  she  must  feel 
the  glory  of  success.  But,  barring  her  emotion,  there  are  those  to-day 
who  feel  they  have  been  vindicated. 

Technically,  the  "  Vesuvius"  has  a  water  line  of  252 
feet ;  beam,  26  feet  6  inches  ;  draught,  10  feet  i  inch  ;  dis- 
placement, 929  tons  ;  she  has  a  speed  of  21.4  knots.  She 
has  two  propellers  driven  by  vertical  triple  expansion  engines.  Her  horse 
power  is  3,794  ;  coal  capacity,  152  tons.  In  addition  to  her  three  15-inch 
dynamite  guns  she  carries  three  3- pounder  rapid  fire  guns.  The  Cramps 
built  her  in  1887  at  a  cost  of  $350,000,  when  Mr.  Whitney  was  Secretary  of 
the  Navy.  She  was  launched  in  1888.  Her  speed  at  trial  of  21.947  was  con- 
sidered the  fastest  on  record. 

One  of  the  prime  uses  to  which  the  "Vesuvius"  may  be  applied  is  the 
countermining  of  channels  that  have  been  planted  with  torpedoes.  So 
wonderfully  destructive  are  her  dynamite  gun-cotton  shells,  that  it  is  possible 
for  this  unique  vessel  to  literally  fight  her  way  through  the  most  dangerous 
passage  that  mines  ever  defended,  and  thus  open  the  way  for  the  entrance  of 
following  ships.  One  of  her  5oo-pound  shells,  which  may  be  accurately 
thrown  a  distance  of  nearly  two  miles,  can  be  made  to  explode  at  any  point, 
whether  on  the  water  surface,  or  at  the  bottom,  and  such  an  explosion  will 
destroy  every  mine  or  torpedo  within  200  feet  of  the  place  where  it  falls. 
For  this  countermining  purpose  the  services  of  the  "  Vesuvius "  may  be 
regarded  as  being  invaluable,  while  for  bombarding,  especially  under  the 
cover  of  night,  when  she  may  creep  within  range,  she  promises  to  be 
dreadfully  effective,  as  was  shown  at  Santiago. 


HOW  WE   ANNIHILATED   CERVERA'S  SQUADRON.  171 

HOW  WE  ANNIHILATED  CERVERA'S  SQUADRON. 

• 

BY 


(Captain  of  the  Battleship  "Iowa.") 

THE  destruction  of  Cervera's  ships  before  Santiago  de  Cuba  on  the 
morning  of  July  3,  1898,  was  an  incident  at  once  so  thrilling  and 
important  that  the  story  will  never  cease  to  interest,  and  the  history 
of  the  world  has  been  mightily  enriched  thereby : 

As  Cervera's  squadron  came  out  in  column,  from  the  bottle-necked 
harbor, — the  ships  beautifully  spaced  as  to  distance,  and  gradually  increasing 
their  speed  to  thirteen  knots,  it  was  superb.  The  range  at  this  time  was  2,000 
yards  from  the  leading  ship  of  our  blockading  fleet.  The  "  Iowa's  "  helm  was 
immediately  put  hard  to  starboard,  and  the  entire  starboard  side  was  poured 
into  the  "  Infanta  Maria  Teresa "  which  led  the  advance.  The  helm  was 
then  quickly  shifted  to  port,  and  the  ship  headed  across  the  stern  of  the 
"  Teresa  "  in  an  effort  to  head  off  the  "  Oquendo."  All  the  time  the  engines, 
were  driving  at  full  speed  ahead.  A  perfect  torrent  of  shells  from  the  enemy 
passed  over  the  smokestacks  and  superstructure  of  the  -"  Iowa,"  but  none 
struck  her. 

The  "  Cristobal  Colon,"  being  much  faster  than  the  rest  of  the  Spanish 
ships,  moved  rapidly  to  the  front  in  an  effort  to  escape.  In  passing  the 
"  Iowa  "  the  "  Colon  "  placed  two  6-inch  shells  fairly  in  our  starboard  bow. 
One  passed  through  the  cofferdam  and  dispensary,  wrecking  the  latter  and 
bursting  on  the  berth  deck,  doing  considerable  damage.  The  other  passed 
through  the  side  at  the  water  line  with  the  cofferdam,  where  it  remained 
until  removed  when  the  ship  was  overhauled  at  New  York  a  month  later. 

As  it  was  now  obviously  impossible  to  ram  any  of  the  Spanish  ships  on 
account  of  their  superior  speed,  the  a  Iowa's  "  helm  was  put  to  the  starboard, 
and  she  ran  on  a  course  parallel  with  the  enemy.     Being 
then  abreast  of  the  "  Almirante  Oquendo,"  at  a  distance  of    Tcrrjble  Damage 
1,100  yards,  the    "Iowa's"  entire   battery,  including  the       "Oquendo." 
rapid-fire   guns,    was    opened    on    the    "  Oquendo."      The 
punishment  was  terrific.     Many  12  and  8-inch  shells  were  seen  to  explode 
inside  of  her,   and  smoke  came  out   through  her  hatches.    Two   1 3-inch 


172  HOW   WE   ANNIHILATED   CERVERA'S  SQUADRON. 

shells  from  the  "  Iowa  "  pierced  the  fated  vessel  at  the  same  moment,  one 
forward  and  the  other  aft.  The  u  Oquendo  "  seemed  to  stop  her  engines 
for  a  moment,  and  lost  headway,  but  she  immediately  resumed  her  speed, 
and  gradually  drew  ahead  of  the  "  Iowa,"  and  came  under  the  terrific  fire 
of  the  "  Oregon  "  and  "  Texas." 

At  this  moment  the  alarm  of  "  torpedo  boats  "  was  sounded,  and  two 
torpedo-boat  destroyers  were  discovered  on  the  starboard  quarter  at  a  distance 
of  4,000  yards.  Fire  was  at  once  opened  on  them  with  the  after  battery, 
and  a  1 2-inch  shell  cut  the  stern  of  one  destroyer  squarely  off.  As  this  shell 
struck,  a  small  torpedo  boat  fired  back  at  the  battleship,  sending  a  shell 
within  a  few  feet  of  my  head.  I  said  to  Executive  Officer  Rogers,  "  That 
little  chap  has  got  a  lot  of  cheek."  Rogers  shouted  back,  "  She  shoots  very 
well  all  the  same." 

Well  up  among  the  advancing  cruisers,  spitting  shots  at  one  and  then 
at  another,  was  the  little  "  Gloucester,"  shooting  first  at  a  cruiser  and  then 
at  a  torpedo  boat,  and  hitting  a  head  wherever  she  saw  it.  The  marvel  was 
that  she  was  not  destroyed  by  the  rain  of  shells. 

In  the  meantime,  the  "Vizcaya  was  slowly  drawing  abeam  of  the 
"  Iowa,"  and  for  the  space  of  fifteen  minutes  it  was  give  and  take  between 
the  two  ships.  The  "  Vizcaya  "  fired  rapidly  but  wildly,  not  one  shot  taking 
effect  on  the  "  Iowa,"  while  the  shells  from  the  "  Iowa"  were  tearing  great 
rents  in  the  sides  of  the  "Vizcaya."  As  the  latter  passed  ahead  of  the 
"  Iowa"  she  came  under  the  murderous  fire  of  the  "  Oregon."  At  this  time 
the  "  Infanta  Maria  Teresa "  and  the  "Almirante  Oquendo,"  leading  the 
enemy's  column,  were  seen  to  be  heading  for  the  beach  and  in  flames.  The 
"Texas,"  "Oregon"  and  "Iowa"  pounded  them  unmercifully.  They 
ceased  to  reply  to  the  fire,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  Spanish  cruisers  were  a 
mass  of  flames  and  on  the  rocks,  with  their  colors  down,  the  "  Teresa " 
flying  a  white  flag  at  the  fore. 

The  crews  of  the  enemy's  ships  stripped  themselves  'and  began  jumping 

overboard,  and  one  of  the  smaller  magazines  began  to  explode.     Meantime 

the  "  Brooklyn  "  and  the  "  Cristobal  Colon  "  were  exchang- 

Driving  the  Ene-    ing  compliments  in  a  lively  fashion,  but  at  apparently  long 

my's  Vessels      range,  and  the  "  Oregon,"  with  her  locomotive  speed,  was 

On  to  the  Rocks,    hanging  well  on  to  the  "  Colon,"  also  paying  attention  to 

the  "  Vizcaya."     The  "  Teresa  "  and  the  "  Oquendo  "  were 

in  flames  on  the  beach  just  twenty  minutes  after  the  battle  began,     Fifty 

minutes  after  the  first  shot  was  fired  the  "  Vizcaya  put  her  helm  to  port  with 

a  great  burst  of  flame  from  the  after  part  of  the-  ship,  and  headed  for  the 

rocks  at  Acerraderos,  where  she  found  her  last  resting  place. 


HOW   WE  ANNIHILATED   CERVERA'S  SQUADRON.  173 

As  it  was  apparent  that  the  "  Iowa  "  could  not  possibly  catch  the  <:  Cris- 
tobal Colon,"  and  that  the  "  Oregon  "  and  "  Brooklyn  "  undoubtedly  would, 
and    as   the    fast  "  New  York "  was  also  on  her  trail,  I 
decided    that    the  calls  of   humanity  should  be  answered    Bodies  Attacked 
and    attention    given    to    the  twelve    or   fifteen   hundred        by  Sharks. 
Spanish  officers  and  men  who  had  struck  their  colors  to 
the  American   squadron    commanded    by  Admiral   Sampson.       I  therefore 
headed  for  the  wreck  of  the  "  Vizcaya,"  now  burning  furiously  fore  and  aft. 
When  I  was  in  as  far  as  the  depth  of  water  would  admit,  I  lowered  all  my 
boats  and  sent  them  at  once  to  the  assistance  of  the  unfortunate  men,  who 
were  being  drowned  by  dozens  or  roasted  on  the  decks.     I  soon  discovered 
that  the  insurgent  Cubans  from  the  shore  were  shooting  on  men  who  were 
struggling  in  the  water,  after  having  surrendered  to  us.     I  immediately  put 
a  stop  to  this,  but  I  could  not  put  a  stop  to  the  mutilation  of  many  bodies 
by  the  sharks  inside  the  reef.     These  creatures  had  become  excited  by  the 
blood  from  the  wounded  mixing  in  the  water. 

My  boats'  crews  worked  manfully,  and  succeeded  in  saving  many  of  the 
wounded  from  the  burning  ship.  One  man,  who  has  since  been  recommended 
for  promotion,  clambered  up  the  side  of  the  "  Vizcaya  "  and  saved  three  men 
from  burning  to  death.  The  smaller  magazines  of  the  "  Vizcaya "  were 
exploding  with  magnificent  cloud  effects.  The  boats  were  coming  alongside 
in  a  steady  string,  and  willing  hands  were  helping  the  lacerated  Spanish" 
officers  and  sailors  on  to  the  "  Iowa's "  quarter-deck.  All  the  Spaniards 
were  absolutely  without  clothes.  Some  had  their  legs  torn  off  by  fragments 
of  shells.  Others  were  mutilated  in  every  conceivable  way. 

The  bottoms  of  the  boats  held  two  or  three  inches  of  blood.  Five  poor 
chaps  died  on  the  way  to  the  ship  and  they  were  buried  with  military 
honors  from  the  "  Iowa."  Some  of  the  Spanish  sailors  were  examples  of 
heroism,  or  more  properly,  devotion  to  discipline  and  duty,  such  as  may 
never  be  surpassed.  One  man  on  the  lost  "  Vizcaya "  had  his  left  arm' 
almost  shot  off  just  below  the  shoulder.  The  fragments  were  hanging  by  a 
small  piece  of  skin.  But  he  climbed  unassisted  over  the  side  and  saluted  as 
if  on  a  visit  of  ceremony.  Immediately  after  him  came  a  strong,  hearty 
sailor,  whose  left  leg  had  been  shot  off  above  the  knee.  He  was  hoisted  on 
board  the  "  Iowa "  with  a  tackle,  but  never  a  whimper  came  from  him. 
Gradually  the  mangled  bodies  •  and  naked  well  men  accumulated  until  it 
would  have  been  almost  difficult  to  recognize  the  "  Iowa  "  as  a  United  States 
battleship. 

Blood  was  all  over  her  usually  white  quarter  deck  and  272  naked  men 
were  being  supplied  with  water  and  food  by  those  who  a  few  minutes  before 


j74  HOW  WE  ANNIHILATED   CERVERA'S  SQUADRON. 

had  been  using  a  rapid-fire  battery  on  them.     Finally  came  the  boats  with 
Captain  Eulate,  commander  of  the  "  Vizcaya,"  for  whom  a 
A  Horrible  Scene    cjiajr  was  iowered  over  tne  side  as  he  was  evidently  wounded. 
on  the  Ship  Deck. 

The  captain's  guard  of  marines  were  drawn  up  on  the 
quarter-deck  to  salute  him,  and  I  stood  waiting  to  welcome  him.  As  the 
chair  was  placed  on  the  deck  the  marines  presented  arms.  Captain  Eulate 
slowly  raised  himself  in  the  chair,  saluted  me  with  grave  dignity,  unbuckled 
his  sword  belt  and,  holding  the  hilt  of  the  sword  before  him,  kissed  it  rever- 
ently, with  tears  in  his  eyes,  and  then  surrendered  it  to  me. 

Of  course,  I  declined  to  receive  his  sword,  and,  as  the  crew  of  the 
"  Iowa"  saw  this,  they  cheered  like  wild  men.  As  I  started  to  take  Captain 
Eulate  into  the  cabin  to  let  the  doctors  examine  his  wounds  the  magazines 
on  board  the  "  Vizcaya  "  exploded,  with  a  tremendous  burst  of  flame.  Cap- 
tain^Eulate,  extending  his  hands,  said,  "Adios,  'Vizcaya.'  There  goes  my 
beautiful  ship,  captain,"  and  so  we  passed  on  to  the  cabin,  where  the  doctors 
dressed  his  three  wounds.  In  the  meantime  thirty  officers  of  the  "Vizcaya" 
had  been  picked  up,  beside  272  of  her  crew.  Our  wardroom  and  steerage 
officers  gave  up  their  staterooms  and  furnished  food,  clothing  and  tobacco 
to  these  naked  officers  from  the  "Vizcaya."  The  paymaster  issued  uniforms 
to  the  naked  sailors,  and  each  was  given  all  the  corned  beef,  coffee  and  hard 
tack  he  could  eat.  The  war  had  assumed  another  aspect. 

As  I  knew  the  crews  of  the  first  two  ships  wrecked  had  not  been  visited 
by  any  of  our  vessels,  I  ran  down  to  them,  where  I  found  the  "  Gloucester  "  with 
Admiral  Cervera  and  a  number  of  his  officers  aboard,  and  also  a  large  num- 
ber of  wounded,  some  in  a  frightfully  mangled  condition.  Many  prisoners 
had  been  killed  on  shore  by  the  fire  of  the  Cubans. 

The  "  Harvard  "  came  off,  and  I  requested  Captain  Cotton  to  go  in  and 
take  off  the  crews  of  the  "Infanta  Maria  Teresa"  and  the  "Almirante 
Oquendo,"  and  by  midnight  the  "  Harvard  "  had  976  prisoners  aboard,  a 
^reat  number  of  them  wounded. 

For  courage  and  dash  there  is  no  parallel  in  history  to  this  action  of  the 
Spanish  admiral.  He  went  as  he  knew,  to  absolute  destruction.  There 
was  one  single  hope;  that  was  that  the  "Cristobal  Colon"  would  steam 
faster  than  the  "  Brooklyn."  The  spectacle  of  two  torpedo-boat  destroyers, 
paper  shells  at  best,  deliberatelv  steaming  out  in  broad 

* 


U  • 

e  daylight  in  the  face  of  the  fire  of  battleships  can  only  be 

described  in  one  way  :  It  was  Spanish,  and  it  was  ordered 
by  Blanco.     The  same  must  be  said  of  the  entire  movement. 

In  contrast  to  this  Spanish  fashion  was  the  cool,  deliberate  Yankee  work. 
Tht  American  squadron  was  without  sentiment  apparently.     The  ships  went 


HOW  WE  ANNIHILATED   CERVERA'S  SQUADRON.  175 

at  their  Spanish  opponents  and  literally  tore  them  to  pieces.  '  But  the  mofnent 
that  the  Spanish  flag  came  down  it  must  have  been  evident  that  the  sentiment 
was  among  the  Americans,  not  among  the  Spaniards. 

I  took  Admiral  Cervera  aboard  the  "Iowa "from  the  "Gloucester," 
which  had  rescued  him  from  the  dead,  and  received  him  with  a  full  admiral's 
guard.  The  crew  of  the  "Iowa"  crowded  aft  over  tire  turrets  half  naked 
and  black  with  powder,  as  Cervera  stepped  over  the  side  bareheaded.  Over 
his  undershirt  he  wore  a  thin  suit  of  flannel  borrowed  from  Lieutenant- 
Commander  Wainwright,  of  the  "  Gloucester."  The  crew  cheered  vocifer- 
ously. Cervera  was  every  inch  an  admiral,  even  if  he  had  no  hat.  He 
submitted  to  the  fortunes  of  war  with  a  grace  that  proclaimed  him  a  hero 
and  a  chivalrous  gentleman. 

The  "Iowa"  fired  61  12-inch,  48  8-inch,  270  4-inch,  1,060  6-pound 
and  1 20  i-pound  shots. 

The  officers  of  the  "  Vizcaya  "  said  they  simply  could  not  hold  their  crews 
at  the  guns  on  account  of  the  rapid  fire  poured  upon  them.  The  decks  were 
flooded  with  water  from  the  fire  hose  and  blood  from  the  wounded  made 
this  a  dark  red.  Fragments  of  bodies  floated  in  this  along  the  gun-deck. 
Every  instant  the  crack  of  exploding  shells  told  of  new  havoc.  One  of  the 
12-inch  shells  from  the  "  Iowa  "  exploded  a  torpedo  in  the  "  Vizcaya's  "  bow, 
blowing  twenty-one  men  against  the  deck  above  and  dropping  them  dead  and 
mangled  into  .the  fire  which  at  once  started  below. 

The  flames  leaping  out  from  the  huge  shot  holes  in  the  "  Vizcaya's " 
sides,  licked  up  the  decks,  sizzling  the  flesh  of  the  wounded  who  were  lying 
there  shrieking  for  help.  Between  the  frequent  explosions  there  came  awful 
cries  and  groans  from  the  men  pinned  in  below.  This  carnage  was  chiefly 
due  to  the  rapidity  of  the  Americans'  fire.  .  Corporal  Smith,  of  the  "  Iowa," 
fired  135  aimed  shots  fn  fifty  minutes  from  a  4-inch  gun.  Two  shells  struck 
within  ten  feet  of  Smith  and  started  a  small  fire,  but  the  corporal  went  on 
pumping  shots  into  the  enemy,  only  stopping  to  say.  "  They've  got  it  in  for 
this  gun,  sir." 

From  two  6-pounders  440  shots  were  fired  in  fifty  minutes.  Up  in  the 
tops  the  marines  banged  away  with  i-pounders,  too  excited  to  step  back  as 
the  shells  whistled  over  them.  One  gunner  of  a  secondary 

battery  under  a  1 2-inch   gun  was  blinded  by  smoke  and     Nothing  Could 

„  Drive  the 

saltpetre  from  the  turret,  and    his  crew  were  driven  off,     Gunners  Away. 

but  sticking  a  wet  handkerchief  over  his  face,  with  holes 
cut  for  his  eyes,  he  stood  by  his  gun.     Finally,  as  the  6-pounders  were  so 
close  to  the  8-inch  turret  as   to  make  it  impossible  to  remain  there  with 
safety,  tlie  men  were  ordered  away  before  the  big  gun  was  fired,  but  they 


I76 


HOW  WE   ANNIHILATED   CERVERA'S   FLEET. 


refused  to  leave.  When  the  8-inch  gun  was  fired  the  concussion  blew  two 
men  of  the  smaller  gun's  crew  ten  feet  from  their  guns,  and  threw  them  to 
the  deck  as  deaf  as  posts.  Back  they  went  again,  however,  and  were  again 
blown  away,  and  finally  had  to  be  dragged  from  their  stations.  Such  bravery 
and  such  dogged  determination  under  the  heavy  fire  were  of  frequent 
occurrence  on  all  the  ships  engaged. 

During  his  stay  on  the  "  Iowa  "  Admiral  Cervera  endeared  himself  to  all. 
After  Blanco's  order  was  issued  he  wanted  to  come  out  on  the  night  of  July 
2,  but  General  Linares  said,  "  Wait  till  to-morrow  morning.  You  will  catch 
them  at  divine  service  then." 

The  Spanish  were  not  deceived  in  this  belief,  for  religious  exercises  were 
in  progress  on  most  of  the  ships,  but  serving  country  is  serving  God,  and  so 
Cervera  learned  to  his  cost  that  the  American  sailor  is  true  to  both. 


REMOVAL  OF  A  JAMMED  SHELL.  177 


WAS  IT  SAMPSON  OR  WAS  IT  SCHLEY? 

WHEN  the  Spanish  fleet  with  full  headway, 
Dashed  out  of  Santiago  Bay, 
Taking  the  chances  of  death  and  wreck  ; 
Who  stood  on  a  Yankee  quarterdeck, 
And  marked  the  game  with  eagle  eye  ; 
Say,  was  it  Sampson  or  was  it  Schley  ? 

Who  was  it,  when  shot  and  screaming  shell, 

Turned  Sabbath  calm  into  echoing  hell, 

Steamed  into  the  thickest  of  the  fray, 

His  good  ship  leading  all  the  way, 

While  the  roar  of  his  guns  shook  earth  and  sky, 

Say,  was  it  Sampson  or  was  it  Schley  ? 

\ 

In  American  hearts  who  holds  first  place 

Of  those  who  claim  part  in  that  glorious  chase? 

Whose  name  stood  out  on  that  proud  day, 

As  the  hero  of  Santiago  Bay  ? 

In  letters  of  gold  write  that  name  on  high  ; 

Shall  we  write  it  Sampson,  or  write  it  Schley  ? 


REMOVAL  OF  A  JAMMED  SHELL  WHILE  UNDER  THE 
FIRE  OF  THE  ENEMY. 

BY  PAUL  ST.  C.  MURPHY, 

(Captain  U.  S.  M.  Corps  of  the  "Brooklyn."} 

ONE  of  the  bravest  acts  performed  by  an  American  sailor  during  the 
terrific  engagement  between  our  fleet  and  Cervera's  squadron  of 
July  3  was  little  "written  about  at  the  time,  but  which  deserves  per- 
petuation iu  the  pages  of    history  as  a  conspicuous  example  of 
American  valor,  and  an  evidence  of  the  courageous  spirit  that  animates  the 
defenders  of  our  country  when  the  most  perilous  service  is  required. 

At    the   moment    the    alarm  was   given   that  the  enemy's  ships   were 
coming  out  of  the  harbor  the  guard  was  at  quarters,  ready  for  inspection.  It 
12 


r78  REMOVAL  OF  A  JAMMED   SHELL. 

was  immediately  dismissed  and  the  men  sent  to  their  stations  for  battle.  The 
men  were  full  of  enthusiasm,  but  there  was  no  excitement  or  disorder,  and 
apparently  no  concern  for  personal  safety.  The  battery  was  handled  with 
admirable  coolness  and  deliberation.  Greater  care  could  not  be  taken  in 
setting  sights  and  aiming  if  the  men  had  been  at  target  practice  and  each 
striving  to  make  a  record  score. 

Considering  the  fact  that  the  enemy  was  within  effective  range  during 
the  greater  part  of  the  action,  the  fire  of  the  secondary  battery  must  have 
been  most  destructive  to  his  men  and  material,  and  contributed  its  full 
share  to  bringing  the  battle  to  an  end  so  speedily,  and  with  so  little  loss  to 
ourselves.  It  is  reported  that  the  Spanish  officers  have  stated  that  so  deadly 
was  the  effect  of  our  secondary  battery  fire  that  it  was  impossible  to  keep 
their  men  at  the  guns. 

Where  all  did  their  duty  manfully  it  is  a  difficult  matter  to  select  indi- 
viduals for  special  mention.  There  are  some,  however,  who  deserve  to  be 
remembered  by  name  for  conduct  that  displayed  in  a  conspicuous  manner 
courage,  intelligence  and  devotion  to  duty. 

During  the  early  part  of  the  action  a  cartridge  jammed 

Smith  and  MacNeal  ^n  ^e  bore  of  the  starboard  6-pounder  of  the  "  Brooklyn  " 
and  in  the  effort  to  withdraw  it  the  case  became  detached 
from  the  projectile,  leaving  the  latter  fast  in  the  bore  and  impossible  to  ex- 
tract from  the  rear.  Corporal  Robert  Gray,  of  the  port  gun,  asked  and 
received  permission  to  attempt  to  drive  the  shell  out  by  means  of  a  rammer. 
To  do  this  it  was  necessary  to  go  out  on  the  gun,  and  the  undertaking  was 
full  of  difficulties  and  danger,  the  latter  due  in  a  great  measure  to  the  blast 
of  the  turret  guns  firing  overhead.  The  gun  was  hot  and  it  was  necessary 
to  cling  to  the  Jacob  ladder  with  one  hand  while  endeavoring  with  the  other 
to  manipulate  the  long  rammer.  After  a  brave  effort  he  was  forced  to  give 
up  and  was  ordered  in.  Quarter  Gunner  W.  H.  Smith  then  came,  sent  by 
the  executive  officer,  and  promptly  placed  himself  in  the  dangerous  position 
outside  the  gun  port,  where  he  worked  and  failed  as  the  corporal  had  done. 
Neither  had  been  able  to  get  the  rammer  into  the  bore,  and  there  seemed 
nothing  left  to  do  but  dismount  the  gun.  At  this  juncture  Private  MacNeal, 
one  of  the  crew,  volunteered  to  go  out  and  make  a  final  effort.  The  gun 
was  so  important,  the  starboard  battery  being  engaged,  that  as  a  forlorn  hope 
he  was  permitted  to  make  the  attempt.  He  pushed  out  boldly  and  set  to 
work.  The  guns  of  the  forward  turret  were  firing,  every  blast  nearly  knock- 
ing him  overboard  and  the  enemy's  shots  were  coming  with  frequency  into 
his  immediate  neighborhood.  It  was  at  this1  time  that  Chief  Yeoman  Ellis 
was  killed  on  the  other  side  of  the  deck.  MacNeal  never  paused  in  his 


DESTRUCTION  OF  CERVERAS'  TORPEDO-BOAT  DESTROYERS.  179 

work.  The  rammer  was  finally  placed  in  the  bore  and  the  shell  ejected. 
The  gun  was  immediately  put  in  action  and  MacNeal  resumed  his  duties  as 
coolly  as  if  what  he  had  done  was  a  matter  of  every  day  routine. 


DESTRUCTION  OF  CERVERA'S  TORPEDO-BOAT 

DESTROYERS. 

BY 


SHORTLY  after  the  outbreak  of  hostilities  I  was  put  in  charge  of  Com- 
modore Morgan's  yacht,  the  "  Corsair."  It  had  been  bought  by  the 
government,  renamed  the  "  Gloucester,"  and  fitted  as  an  auxiliary 
vessel,  being  given  a  miniature  battery  of  four  6-pounders,  four 
3-pounders  and  two  Colt  automatic  rifles.  Four  of  the  officers  were  regulars 
and  five  volunteers.  Her  crew  numbered  ninety-three  men. 

The  "  Gloucester  "  was  ordered  to  join  Admiral  Sampson's  fleet,  and 
proceeded  via  Key  West  and  Banes  to  Santiago.  When  blockading  off  San- 
tiago her  station  was  on  the  eastern  end  of  the  line  and  inshore  of  all  the 
vessels,  being  off  Aguadores  in  the  daytime  and  off  the  Morro  during  the 
night. 

Sunday  morning,  July  3,  she  was  in  her  iisual  station.  This  was  the 
day  when  Cervera  sailed  out  of  Santiago  Harbor.  The  fleet  opened  fire  at 
once  on  the  "  Maria  Teresa."  We  were  heading  out  and  commenced  firing 
with  our  after  guns.  Our  helm  was  put  hard  a-port,  so  that  we  turned 
toward  the  "  Indiana "  and  in  the  direction  taken  by  the  enemy,  and  was 
kept  a-port  until  we  were  heading  at  right  angles  to  their  column.  We 
were  in  every  way  prepared  for  our  work,  the  men  being  at  quarters,  with 
plenty  of  ammunition  on  deck,  except  for  the  time  required  to  attain  full 
speed. 

As  soon  as  the  enemy  were  sighted,  orders  were  given  to  start  the 
blowers,  and  we  were  quickly  under  a  full  head  of  steam.  The  enemy  soon 
developed  their  tactics,  such  as  they  were.  They  evidently  expected  to 
take  advantage  of  their  high  speed  and  escape  past  the  western  end  of  our 
fleet  before  we  could  destroy  them.  We  of  the  "Gloucester"  closed  in 
toward  the  enemy,  firing  such  guns  as  we  could  bring  to  bear.  We  were 


i8o  DESTRUCTION  OF  CERVERA'S  TORPEDO-BOAT  DESTROYERS. 

near  the  u  Indiana  "  and  anxiously  looking  for  the  destroyers.  They  were 
not  very  far  behind  the  armored  cruisers,  but  the  time  appeared  long  as 
we  slowed  down  to  wait  for  them. 

As  soon  as  the   "  Pluton "  and   "Furor"  made  their  appearance  our 

duty  was  plain — we  must  prevent  them  from  attacking  one  of  our  battleships. 

We  started  ahead  at  full  speed  and  gradually  closed  in  on 

Destroying  t  e     them,  firing  as  rapidly  as  possible.     About  this  time  we 
Destroyers. 

made  out  a  signal  from  the  "  Indiana  "  to  read  : 

"  Gunboats  close  in" 

I  have  since  heard  that  Captain  Taylor  intended  to  signal  "Torpedo 
boats  coming  out."  To  close  in  on  the  torpedo  boats  required  us  to  cross  the 
"  Indiana's  "  line  of  fire,  and  as  she  was  pouring  in  shell  from  her  secondary 
battery,  we  were  glad  to  feel  secure  that  she  would  stop  as  we  crossed  her 
line. 

As  we  drew  closer  to  the  destroyers  their  fire  became  quite  warm,  and 
their  projectiles  and  those  from  the  forts  appeared  to  hit  all  around  us,  and 
when  their  Maxim  i-pounder  started  into  play  it  seemed  almost  impossible 
for  them  to  fail  to  hit  us.  But  not  a  shot  struck  us,  and  there  were  men 
blown  away  from  their  guns  before  they  got  our  range.  When  we  were 
distant  about  twelve  hundred  yards  we  opened  fire  with  our  two  6-millimetre 
automatic  Colt  rifles.  They  poured  a  shower  of  bullets  onto  the  decks  of 
the  destroyers  and  did  great  execution. 

As  we  gathered  speed  we  commenced  to  close  in  on"  the  "  Pluton  "  and 
the  "  Furor  "  rapidly.  Although  built  for  twenty-eight  and  thirty  knots,  our 
seventeen  knots  good  was  too  much  for  them.  The  "  Pluton  "  soon  began 
to  slacken  and  then  she  stopped  in  the  breakers.  "  At  this  time  the  "  Indiana  " 
was  rounding  the  point  ahead  to  the  westward  and  the  "  New  York  "  was 
coming  up  rapidly  from  the  direction  of  Siboney. 

When  it  was  evident  that  the  "  Pluton  "  was  done  for,  we  concentrated 
our  fire  on  the  "  Furor,"  and  every  shot  appeared  to  take  effect.  Suddenly 
she  jammed  her  helm  hard  a-starboard  and  made  for  us.  It  was  evident  that 
as  our  guns  were  too  much  for  her  she  was  going  to  try  a  torpedo.  One  of 
our  prisoners  told  us  after  the  battle  that  they  made  several  attempts  to  fire 
a  torpedo,  but  the  crews  were  driven  from  the  tubes  by  our  own  fire. 

With  her  helm  still  a-starboard,  the."  Furor  "  turned  toward  the  entrance 
of  the  harbor,  and  the  "  New  York,"  having  approached  until  she  was 
engaged  with  the  principal  shore  batteries,  fired  two  or  three  shots  at  her, 
fearing  she  might  escape.  But  the  "  Furor's  "  helm  was  jammed,  and  she 
continued  to  circle  to  port,  so  the  "  New  York,"  her  crew  cheering,  continued 
under  full  steam  after  the  escaping  cruisers. 


Gallant  Rescue  of 
Survivors. 


DESTRUCTION  OF  CERVERA'S  TORPEDO-BOAT  DESTROYERS.  i8x 

The  "  Pluton  "  had  blown  tip  and  was  on  the  rocks.  The  "  Furor  " 
was  on  fire,  her  helm  jammed,  and  unable  to  continue  the  fight.  We  had 
been  doing  our  best  to  destroy  life ;  now  had  come  the  time  when  we  could 
commence  to  save  the  lives  of  our  conquered  enemies.  The  Socapa  battery 
was  firing  at  us  still,  and  when  we  stopped  the  shells  began  to  fall  pretty 
close  to  us  ;  but  as  soon  as  our  boats  were  lowered  they  ceased  firing. 

The  boats  brought  off  every  one  who  was  alive  on  the  burning  wrecks 
of  the  "  Pluton  "  and  the  "  Furor,"  and  also  rescued  those 
in  the  water  and  on  the  rocks.  The  trouble  in  getting 
the  Spaniards  off  the  rocks  was  especially '  great,  as  they 
refused  to  jump  into  the  water,  and  in  some  cases  it  was  necessary  to  throw 
them  in  and  then  pull  them  into  the  boat. 

The  complement  of  the  "Furor  "  was  sixty-seven  and  of  the  "  Pluton  " 
seventy  men.  Of  these,  nineteen  were  saved  from  the  former  and  twenty-six 
from  the  latter.  But  it  is  known  that  a  few  swam  ashore  and  managed  to 
reach  Santiago. 

Meanwhile  the  "Gloucester"  had  steamed  on  to  where  the  "Infanta 
Maria  Teresa "  and  the  "  Almirante  Oquendo "  were  lying,  wrecked  and 
burning,  on  the  shore.  Each  had  white  flags  flying.  They  were  burn- 
ing fore  and  aft ;  their  guns  and  reserve  ammunition  were  exploding,  and  it 
was  not  known  at  what  moment  the.  fire  would  reach  the  main  magazines. 
Moreover,  a  heavy  sea  was  running  just  inside  of  the  Spanish  ships..  But  no 
danger  and  no  difficulty  deterred  the  officers  and  men  of  the  "  Gloucester  " 
until,  in  two  small  boats  and  a  dingy,  they  had  rescued  all  the  survivors, 
including  the  wounded  from  the  two  burning  ships. 


iS2  THK  CUFFS  OF  SANTIAGO. 

THE  CLIFFS  OF  SANTIAGO. 

BY  A.  B.  DEMiLLE. 

THE  Cliffs  of  Santiago, 
They  front  the  quiet  sea ; 
Their  high,  green  forests  waver 

To  a  wind  of  memory, 
All  for  the  Spanish  sailors 
Gone  down  beneath  the  sea. 

The  Cliffs  of  Santiago, 

How  they  echoed  back  the  roar 

When  the  fierce,  gray  warships  battled 
Till  the  running  fight  was  o'er, 

And  the  banked  smoke  hung  to  leeward 
Off  bitter  miles  of  shore  ! 

The  Cliffs  of  Santiago, 

Are  fallen  silent  now  ; 
There  are  ruined  vessels  grounded, 

Flame-blasted  stern  and  bow — 
There  many  a  lad  is  lying 

With  death  on  cheek  and  brow. 

There's  a  many  wife  and  mother 
In  the  pleasant  land  of  Spain 

For  to  watch,  and  wait,  and  listen — 
But  their  watching's  all  in  vain, 

And  they'll  watch  a  weary  vigil 
Ere  their  lads  come  home  again  ! 

The  Cliffs  of  Santiago, 

They  dream  above  the  sea  ; 

They  guard  a  reckless  valor 
And  a  grief  that  aye  shall  be ; 

O  the  Cliffs  of  Santiago, 
And  the  calling  of  the  sea  I 


STORY  OF  A   TORPEDO-BOAT  DESTROYER.  183 


STORY  OF  A  TORPEDO-BOAT  DESTROYER.. 

THERE  was   a   mile   and   more  of  smoke  and   flame   and   fighting 
stretching  westward  from  the  Morro  before  Cervera's  torpedo  boat 
destroyers  steamed  past  the  "  Merrimac  "  and  swung  into  the  lane 
of  fire  marked  out  for  them  by  the  Admiral  on  that  finest  of  morn- 
ings, July  3. 

Richard  Wainwright,  executive  officer  of  the  Maine,  commanding  the 
converted  yacht  "  Gloucester,"  had  run  in  toward  the  harbor  mouth  from 
his  blockading  station,  which  was  a  little  to  the  eastward,  and  when  the  last 
of  the  Spanish  cruisers  was  making  her  turn  westward,  the  yacht  was 
heading  toward  her. 

The  big  u-inch  guns  of  the  cruiser  belched  fire  and  smoke  as  she  opened 
on  the  u  Indiana."  Her  captain  saw  the  "Gloucester,"  too,  and  evidently 
suspected  that  she  might  attempt  to  torpedo  him,  so  the  guns  of  the  sec- 
ondary battery  were  trained  on  the  yacht  and  shells  fell  all  about  her. 
Wainwright,  whose  danger  was  great,  answered,  only  steaming  the  closer. 
From  our  yacht  "  Golden  Rod,"  which  at  that  time  was  directly  off  shore 
from  the  "  Gloucester,"  we  watched  in  amazement.  Smoke  curled  up  over 
the  yacht  a  moment  later,  and  we  knew  that  she  was  answering  the  cruiser 
with  her  6-pound er. 

But  that  was  only  an  incident  to  Wainwright.  L,ying  closer  in  than 
the  "Golden  Rod  "  he  had  already  seen  what  we  did  not  see  till  later — the 
".Furor"  and  "  Pluton"  coming  out  of  the  harbor.  We  understood  when 
we  saw  them  that  he  was  holding  his  position  in  spite  of  the  cruiser's  fire  so 
that  he  might  engage  the  destroyers  at  deadly  range.  The  "  Gloucester  "  is 
a  torpedo-boat  destroyer  as  the  event  proved,  a  destroyer  of  destroyers. 

I  turned  from  the  main  battle  for  a  second  or  two  pretty  often  in  the 
next  few  historical  minutes,  to  see  the  yacht  and  the  destroyers,  and  it  was 
difficult  to  take  one's  eyes  off  them,  for  on  the  bridge  of 
the  "  Golden  Rod  "  men  were  saying  of  the  "  Gloucester  "  : 
"  She's  gone  !  They're  both  going  straight  at  her  !  Why 
doesn't  he  pull  out  ?  "  But  they  didn't  know  "  D:'ck  "  Wainwright. 

As  the  destroyers  made  the  turn  westward,  every  gun  which  could  be 
trained  on  the  "  Gloucester  "  was  fired,  and  her  decks  were  wet  by  spray  cast 
there  by  shells  which  struck  about  her.  Worse  still,  the  gunners  in  the 
battery  beyond  Morro  were  throwing  projectiles  at  the  yacht,  any  one  of 
which  must  destroy  her  at  once  if  the  aim  were  true.  And  at  this  time  the 
last  of  the  cruisers  still  fired  at  her.  The  smallest  of  shells  would  have 


1  84  STORY   OF   A   TORPEDO-BOAT   DESTROYER. 

gone  through  her  and  any  projectile  was  likely  to  cripple  her  and  invite 
destruction.  • 

Wainwright  only  moved  a  little  bit  closer.  Smoke  hid  the  "  Glouces- 
ter," the  smoke  of  her  own  guns,  and  a  man  beside  me  called  in  fear, 
"  They've  sunk  her  !  "  We  all  thought  so.  But  out  of  the  smoke-cloud  her 
bow  appeared  at  last.  The  destroyers  were  running  parallel  with  the  coast, 
seeking  the  refuge  which  would  be  theirs  could  they  get  between  the  larger 
Spanish  ships  and  the  shore.  Wainwright  steered  their  course,  and  so  they 
fought  broadside  and  broadside. 

They  fired  fast  at  first.  The  "  Gloucester's  ''  guns  were  worked  with 
inconceivable  speed  throughout.  Often  we  thought  her  disabled  or  gone 
when  the  smoke  closed  about  her. 

When  we  heard  afterward  that  Wainwright  had  not  lost  a  man  we  could 
not  believe  it,  for  the  range  was  short,  and  once  we  knew  his  little  craft  was 
a  target  for  a  cruiser,  the  land  batteries  and  the  destroyers  all  together. 

The  "  Golden  Rod's  "  men  yelled  —  "  yell  "  is  the  word  —  every  time  the 
yacht  shook  off  the  shroud  of  powder  smoke,  and  whenever  they  saw  the 
flame  spurts  of  her  guns  dash  out  through  it.  They  yelled  more,  you  may 
be  sure,  when  the  first  destroyer,  winged  and  helpless,  stopped  in  her  flight 
westward,  lost  headway  and  course,  and  drifted  into  the  surf. 

Wainwright  moved  closer  to  the  other.     The  big  ships  were  pounding 

this  one,  too.     Even   the  "  New  York,"  hurrying  up  from  the  eastward, 

threw  a  shell  or  two  —  four,  I  believe  —  at  the  black  Span- 

^  How  the^        lard,  but  they  were  scarcely  needed.     She  was  on  fire,  and 


Spat  Fire.        ^er  men  had.  long  been  unable  to  work  their  guns  effect- 

ively.   And  still  the  old  "  Corsair  "  —  for  the  "Gloucester  " 

was  the  "  Corsair  "  —  spat  fire   and  buried  herself  in  the  smoke  of  battle. 

And  all  the  time  Wainwright  moved  a  little  closer.     The  second  destroyer 

struck  her  colors  and  went  ashore  blazing. 

Wainwright  moved  on  then  to  the  work  of  rescue,  which  was  as  peril- 
ous as  his  work  of  destruction  had  been.  It  was  he  who  received  the  Span- 
ish Admiral,  and  courteously  congratulated  him  upon  the  gallant  fight  he 
had  made,  using  memorable  words  which  Cervera  will  treasure  until  he  dies. 

Men  have  spoken  of  many  participants  \n  the  battle  of  Santiago  as 
typical  American  soldiers  and  seamen.  Surely  all  must  accord  a  seat  of 
honor  in  that  company  to  Richard  Wainwright,  of  the  "  Gloucester  "  — 
gallant,  calm,  ever  moving  a  little  nearer  to  the  enemy  while  the  battle 
lasted  ;  a  lion  in  the  work  of  rescuing  the  vanquished  and  succoring  the 
dying  ;  courteous,  perfect  in  his  reception  of  the  Admiral  whose  fleet  he 
had  helped  to  destroy. 


SUCCESS   OF   OUR   ARMY   IN   CUBA.  183 


TO  comprehend  the  difficulties  of  such  a  campaign  as  our  army  con- 
ducted before  the  well-fortified  and  strongly-garrisoned  city  of 
Santiago,  it  must  be  remembered  that  this  government  has  only 
on  one  previous  occasion  sent  troops  to  a  foreign  country,  and 
that  was  over  fifty  years  ago.  It  is  true  that  our  soldiers  went  through  a 
good  deal  of  discomfort  and  suffering,  but  this  was  incident  to  the  campaign, 
and  I  don't  think  that  the  administration  neglected  any  duty  to  the  army 
which  it  was  possible  to  foresee. 

The  army  was  a  superb  body  of  brave  men.  It  is  true,  we  were  short 
of  transportation,  but  the  expectation  when  we  left  Tampa  was  that  we 
would  land  very  near  the  city.  The  officers  and  men  landed  cheerfully. 

Nine  hundred  and  sixty-four  dismounted  cavalrymen  attacked  and  routed 
fully  two  thousand  Spaniards  at  Las  Quasima  June  24,  and  on  July  i,  Kent's 
division  and  the  cavalry  divisions,  numbering  about  six  thousand  men, 
waded  the  San  Juan  River ;  the  forward  line  under  a  heavy  fire  from  the 
Spanish  earthworks,  then  advanced  to  an  open  plain  and  charged  the  enemy's 
works  at  San  Juan  forts  and  the  intrenchments  which  crowned  the  hill  upon 
which  the  fort  stood. 

At  the  same  time  General  Lawton  with  like  force  attacked  and  captured 
the  fort  at  El  Caney,  about  five  miles  to  the  north  of  Santiago.  The  position 
assaulted  and  captured  by  Kent's  division  and  the  cavalry  divisions  placed 
the  army  on  a  ridge  which  overlooked  the  city,  and  this  enabled  General 
Shafter  to  circumvent  the  entire  Spanish  line  and  compel  their  surrender, 
which  was  accomplished  on  July  16. 

The  success  of  the  army  was  due  to  the  superb  gallantry  and  fortitude 
of  our  men.  It  showed  that  the  sons  of  those  who  fought  the  great  battles 
of  thirty  years  ago  were  inspired  by  the  same  brave  spirit  which  animated 
their  fathers. 

I  deeply  deplore  the  undeserved  censure  that  uninformed  and  thought- 
less persons  have  heaped  upon  the  administration  for  not  having  taken  better 
measures  for  the  care  of  the  army  in  Cuba.  This  criticism  does  not  emanate 
from  the  soldiers  who  fought  the  battles.  They  understand  the  difficulties 


186  BOMBARDMENT  OF  'SANTIAGO. 

attending  an  expedition  so  hurriedly  organized.  They  cheerfully  bore  all  the 
hardships  for  they  realized  that  the  administration  was  doing  everything  in 
its  power  for  their  comfort. 

I  think  the  result  of  the  war  will  bring  very  far-reaching  benefits  to 
our  country.  It  gives  us  a  commanding  position  throughout  the  world,  and 
the  trade  expansion  which  will  follow  within  a  very  short  time  will  more 
than  pay  the  expenses  which  we  incurred. 


BOMBARDMENT  OF  SANTIAGO. 

Terrible  Effects  of  Shells  Bursting  in  the  Streets  of  the  Old  City. 

BY  A  SEAMAN  OF  THE  CRUISER  "  NEW  YORK." 

BEFORE  the  hour  of  five  o'clock  of  the  morning  of  July  2  11898),  the 
crew  of  the  flagship  u  New  York  "  was  astir,  eating  a  hurried  break- 
fast.    At  5.50,   "  general  quarters  "  was  sounded  and  the  flagship 
headed   in   towards   Aguadores,    about    three   miles  east  of  Morro 
Castle.     The  other  ships  retained  their  blockading  stations. 

Along  the  surf-beaten  shore  the  smoke  of  an  approaching  train  from 
Altares  was  seen.  It  was  composed  of  open  cars,  full  of  General  Duffield's 
troops.  At  the  cutting,  a  mile  east  of  Aguadores,  the  train  stopped  and  the 
Cuban  scouts  proceeded  along  the  railroad  track.  The  troops  got  out  of  the 
cars  and  soon  formed  in  a  long,  thin  line,  standing  out  vividly  against 
the  yellow  rocks  that  rose  perpendicularly  above,  shutting  them  off  from 
the  main  body  of  the  army,  which  was  on  the  other  side  of  the  hill  several 
miles  north. 

From  the  quarter  of  the  flagship  there  was  a  signal, 
"U"'"tl°r1    by  a  vigorously  wigwagged  letter,  and  a  few  minutes  later 
from  a  lump  of  green  at  the  water's  edge  came  an  answer 
from  the  army. 

This  was  the  first  co-operation  for  offensive  purposes  between  the  army 
and  navy.  The  landing  of  the  army  at  Baiquiri  and  Altares  was  purely  a 
naval  affair. 

With  the  flag  in  his  hand  the  soldier  ashore  looked  like  a  butterfly. 
"  Are  you  waiting  for  us  to  begin  ?  "  was  the  signal  made  by  Rear-Admiral 
Sampson  to  the  army.  "  General  Duffield  is  ahead  with  the  scouts,"  came 
the  answer  from  the  shore  to  the  flagship.  By  this  time  it  was  seven  o'clock 


BOMBARDMENT  OF  SANTIAGO.  187 

and  the  admiral  ran  the  flagship's  bow  within  three-quarters  of  a  mile  of  the 
beach.  She  remained  almost  as  near  during  the  forenoon.  The  daring  way 
she  was  handled  by  Captain  Chadwick,  within  sound  of  the  breakers,  made 
the  Cuban  pilot  on  board  stare  with  astonishment. 

The  "  Suwanee  "  was  in  company  with  the  flagship,  still  closer  in  shore, 
and  the  "  Gloucester  "  was  to  the  westward,  near  Morro  Castle.  From  the 
southward  the  "  Newark  "  came  up  and  took  a  position  to  the  westward. 
Her  decks  were  black  with  sixteen  hundred  or  more  troops.  She  went 
alongside  of  the  flagship,  and  was  told  to  disembark  the  soldiers  at  Alcires. 
Then  Admiral  Sampson  signaled  to  General  Duffield  :  "  When  do  you  want 
us  to  commence  firing?" 

In  a  little  while  a  white  flag  on  shore  sent  back  the  answer  :  "  When 
the  rest  of  the  command  arrives.  Then  I  will  signal  you." 

It  was  a  long  and  tedious  wait  for  the  ships  before        °ng_  alt  or 

the  Troops. 

the  second  fifty  carloads  of  troops  came  puffing  along  from 
Altares.  By  9.30  the  last  of  the  soldiers  had  left  the  open  railroad  tracks, 
disappearing  in  the  thick  brush  that  covered  the  eastern  side  of  Aguadores 
inlet.  The  water  in  the  sponge  tubs  under  the  breeches  of  the  big  guns  was 
growing  hot  in  the  burning  sun.  Ashore  there  were  no  sign  of  the  enemy. 
They  were  believed  to  be  on  the  western  bluff.  Between  the  bluffs  runs  a 
rocky  gully  leading  into  Santiago  city.  On  the  extremity  of  the  western 
arm  was  an  old,  castellated  fort,  from  which  the  Spanish  flag  was  flying,  and 
~n  tl  e  parapet  on  the  eastern  hill,  commanding  the  gully,  two  stretches  of 
red  earth  could  easily  be  seen  against  the  brush.  These  were  the  rifle  pits. 

At  10.15  a  signal  flag  ashore  wigwagged  to  Admiral 
Sampson  to  commence  firing,  and  a  minute  later  the  "  New    Firing  is  Begun. 
York  "  guns  blazed  away  at  the  rifle  pits  and  at  the  old  • 

fort.  The  "  Suwanee "  and  "  Gloucester "  joined  in  the  echoes,  which 
rumbled  around  and  filled  the  gully.  All  the  stored-up  thunder  of  the 
clouds  seemed  to  have  broken  loose,  and  smoke  soon  rose  over'the  hills,  and 
the  gully  was  shut  out  from  view.  Then  the  firing  became  more  deliberate. 

Of  our  troops  ashore  in  the  brush  nothing  could  be  seen,  but  the  "  ping," 
"  ping,"  of  the  small  arms  of  the  army  floated  out  to  sea  during  the  occa- 
sional lull  in  the  firing  of  the  big  guns,  which  peppered  the  rifle  pits  until 
clouds  of  red  earth  rose  above  them. 

An  8-inch  shell  from  the  "  Newark  "  dropped  in  the  massive  old  fort 
and  clouds  of  white  dust  and  huge  stones  filled  the  air.  When  the  small 
shells  hit  its  battlements,  almost  hidden  by  green  creepers,  fragments  of 
masonry  came  tumbling  down.  A  shot  from  the  "  Suwanee "  hit  the 
eastern  parapet  and  it  crumbled  away  like  a  mummy  exposed  to  the  air 


138  BOMBARDMENT  OF   SANTIAGO. 

after  long  years.  Amid  the  smoke  and  debris  the  flagstaff  was  seen  to  fall 
forward.  "The  flag  has  been  shot  down,"  shouted  the  ship's  crews,  but 
when  the  smoke  cleared  away  the  emblem  of  Spain  was  seen  to  be  still 
flying  and  blazing  brilliantly  in  the  sun,  though  the  flagstaff  was  bending 
toward  the  earth.  Apparently  the  flagstaff  had  been  caught  firmly  in  the 
wreckage  of  the  fort.  A  few  more  shots  leveled  the  battlements  until  the 
old  castle  was  a  pitiable  sight. 

When  the  firing  ceased,  Lieutenant  Delehanty,  of  the 
.  °*s       "  Suwanee,"  was  anxious  to  finish  his  work,  so  he  signaled 

at  Spanish  Flag. 

to  the  "  New  York,"  asking  permission  to  knock  down  the 
Spanish  flag.  "Yes,"  replied  Admiral  Sampson,  "  if  you  can  do  it  in  three 
shots."  The  "  Suwanee"  then  lay  about  sixteen  hundred  yards  from  the 
old  fort.  She  took  her  time.  Lieutenant  Blue  careful^  aimed  the  4-inch 
gun  and  the  crews  of  all  the  ships  watched  the  incident  amid  intense 
excitement.  When  the  smoke  of  the  ' '  Suwanee's  "  first  shot  cleared  away, 
only  two  red  streamers  of  the  flag  were  left.  The  shell  had  gone  through 
the  center  of  the  bunting.  A  delighted  yell  broke  from  the  crew  of  the 
u  Suwanee."  Two  or  three  minutes  later  the  "Suwanee "  fired  again  and  a 
huge  cloud  of  debris  rose  from  the  base  of  the  flagstaff".  For  a  few  seconds 
it  was  impossible  to  tell  the  effect  of  the  shot.  Then  it  was  seen  that  the 
shell  had  only  added  to  the  ruin  of  the  fort  The  flagstaff  seemed  to  have  a 
charmed  existence  and  the  "  Suwanee"  only  had  one  chance  left.  It  seemed 
hardly  possible  for  her  to  achieve  her  object  with  the  big  gun,  uch  a 
distance  and  such  a  tiny  target.  There  was /breathless  silence  among  tne 
watching  crews.  They  crowded  on  the  ship's  decks  and  all  eyes  were  on 
that  tattered  rag,  bending  toward  the  earth  from  the  top  of  what  once  had 
been  a  grand  old  castle.  But  it  is  only  bending,  not  yet  down. 

Lieutenant-Commander    Delehanty    and    Lieutenant 
Third  shot        B1       took   their  tj          The   u  Suwaace "   changed    her 

Brings  it  Down. 

position  slightly.  Then  a  puff  of  smoke  shot  from  her 
side.  Up  went  a  spouting  cloud  of  debris  from  the  parapet  and  down  fell 
the  banner  of  -Spain.  Such  yells  from  the  flagship  will  probably  never  be 
heard  again.  There  was  more  excitement  than  is  witnessed  at  the  finish  of 
a  college  boat  race  or  a  popular  race  between  first-class  thoroughbreds  on 
some  big  track.  The  "  Suwanee's  "  last  shot  had  struck  right  at  the  base  of 
the  flagstaff  and  had  blown  it  clear  of  the  wreckage  which  had  held  it.  "  Well 
done,"  signaled  Admiral  Sampson  to  Lieutenant-Commander  Delehanty. 

At  11.30  General  Duffield  signaled  that  his  scouts  reported  that  no 
damage  had  been  done  to  the  Spanish  rifle  pits  by  the  shells  from  the  ships 
and  Admiral  Sampson  told  him  they  had  been  hit  several  times,  but  there 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTIAGO'S  DOWNFAU,.  189 

was  no  one  in  the  pits.     However  the  "  Suwanee  "  was  ordered  to  fire  a  few 
more  shots  in  their  direction. 

At  1 2. 1 8  p.  m.,  the  "New  York,"  having  discontinued  firing  at  Agua- 
dores,  began  firing  8-inch  shells  clear  over  the  gully  into 

the  city  of  Santiago  de  Cuba.     Every  five  minutes  the  shells 

Into  Santiago. 

went  roaring  over  the  hillside,  and  though  the  distance 
was  fully  four  miles,  the  range  was  so  accurately  gauged  that  nearly  all  of 
them  fell  within  the  populous  district  of  the  city,  doing  very  great  damage. 
After  the  rifle  pits  had  been  cleared  of  Spaniards  the  "  Oregon  "  came  up  and 
began  hurling  8-inch  shells  over  the  high  hills,  into  the  city,  one  of  which 
struck  a  church  and  razed  it  to  the  ground,  besides  killing  several  soldiers 
who  were  in  the  street  nearby.  As  the  city  was  entirely  hidden  from  our 
view  by  intervening  hills,  it  was  not  possible  at  the  time  to  know  the  effects 
of  our  firing,  but  after  the  surrender,  inquiry  and  inspection  disclosed  that 
terrific  havoc  had  been  wrought  to  buildings,  though  fortunately  few  lives 
were  destroyed. 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTIAGO'S  DOWNFALL. 

BY 


THE  expedition  against  Santiago,  which  I  had  the  honor  of  command- 
ing, was  undertaken  in  compliance  with  instructions  of  May  30 
from  headquarters  of  the  army,  which  were  thus  briefly  given : 

"  Admiral  Schley  reports  that  two  cruisers  and  two  torpedo 
boats  have  been  seen  in  the  harbor  of  Santiago.  Go  with  your  force  to 
capture  garrison  at  Santiago  and  assist  in  capturing  harbor  and  fleet." 

At  the  time  of  receiving  this  order  the  troops  assembled  at  Tampa  were 
poorly  prepared  to  enter  upon  the  perils  of  an  invasion  of  Cuba.  Many  of 
the  volunteer  soldiers  were  insufficiently  drilled,  and  lack  of  transportation 
facilities  for  moving  the  cavalry  were  such  that  it  was  impossible  to  act 
promptly  upon  the  order  received  June  7,  and  it  was  not  until  June  14 
that  sufficient  transports  were  provided,  upon  which  were  embarked 
16,072  men  and  815  officers.  This  expedition  was  convoyed  by  a  squadron 
of  our  best  ships  and  succeeded  in  landing  at  Baiquiri,  fourteen  miles  from 
Santiago,  on  the  2oth  to  22d.  Directly  after  anchoring  the  transports  off  the 


190  THE  STORY   OF  SANTIAGO'S   DOWNFAI^. 

Cuban  coast,  I  had  an  interview  with  General  Garcia,  who  offered  the  services 
of  his  troops,  comprising  about  4,000  men  in  the  vicinity  of  Asseraderos,  and 
about  500  under  General  Castillo  at  the  little  town  of  Cujababo,  a  few  miles 
east  of  Baiquiri.  I  accepted  his  offer,  impressing  it  upon  him  that  I  could 
exercise  no  military  control  over  him  except  such  as  he  would  concede,  and 
as  long  as  he  served  under  me  I  would  furnish  him  rations  and  ammunition. 

After  conferring  with  Admiral  Sampson  and  General  Garcia,  I  outlined 
the  plan  of  campaign.  The  disembarkation  was  to  be  completed  on  the 
twenty-second  at  Baiquiri,  with  feints  by  the  Cubans  on  Cabanas  and  by  the 
navy  at  various  shore  points,  in  order  to  mislead  the  enemy  as  to  the  place 
of  landing.  These  movements  permitted  me  to  approach  Santiago  from 
the  east  over  a  narrow  road,  at  first  in  some  places  not  better  than  a  trail, 
running  from  Baiquiri  through  Siboney  and  Seville,  and  making  attack 
from  that  quarter.  This,  in  my  judgment,  was  the  only  feasible  plan,  and 
subsequent  information  and  results  confirmed  my  judgment. 

In  pursuance  of  this  plan  General  Young's  brigade  passed  beyond  Law- 
ton  on  the  nights  of  the  twenty-third  and  twenty-fourth,  thus  taking  the 
advance,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  latter  date  became 

he  Fighi  engaged  with  a  Spanish  force  intrenched  in  a  strong  posi- 

tion at  L,a  Guasima,  a  point  on  the  Santiago  road  about 
three  miles  from  Siboney.  General  Young's  force  consisted  of  one  squadron 
of  the  First  Cavalry,  one  of  the  Tenth  Cavalry  and  two  of  the  First  United 
States  Volunteer  Cavalry  ;  in  all,  964  officers  and  men.  The  enemy  made 
an  obstinate  resistance,  but  were  driven  from  the  field  with  considerable  loss. 
Our  own  casualty  was  one  officer  and  fifteen  men  killed  ;  six  officers  and  forty- 
six  men  wounded.  The  reported  losses  of  the  Spaniards  were  nine  killed  and 
twenty-seven  wounded.  The  engagement  had  an  inspiring  effect  upon  our 
men  and,  doubtless,  correspondingly  depressed  the  enemy,  as  it  was  now 
plainly  demonstrated  to  them  that  they  had  a  foe  to  meet  who  would  advance 
upon  them  under  a  heavy  fire  delivered  from  intrenchments.  General 
Wheeler,  division  commander,  was  present  during  the  engagement,  and 
reported  that  our  troops,  officers  and  men  fought  with  the  greatest  gallantry. 
This  engagement  gave  us  a  well  watered  country  farther  to  the  front,  on 
which  to  encamp  our  troops. 

It  was  not  until  nearly  two  weeks  after  the  army  landed  that  it  was 
possible  to  place  on  shore  three  days'  supplies  in  excess  of  those  required  for 
the  daily  consumption. 

On  June  30  I  reconnoitered  the  country  about  Santiago  and  made  my 
plan  of  attack.  From  a  high  hill,  from  which  the  city  was  in  plain  view,  I 
could  see  the  San  Juan  hill  and  the  country  about  El  Caney.  The  roads  were 


THE   STORY  OF   SANTIAGO'S   DOWNFALL.  191 

very  poor  and  indeed  little  better  than  bridle  paths  until  the  San  Juan 
river  and  El  Caney  were  reached. 

Lawton's  Division,  assisted  by  Capron's  Light  Battery,  was  ordered  to 
move  out  during  the  afternoon  toward  El  Caney,  to  begin  the  attack  there 
early  the  next  morning.  After  carrying  El  Caney,  Lawton  was  to  move  by 
the  Caney  road  toward  Santiago  and  take  position  on  the  right  of  the  line. 
Wheeler's  Division  of  dismounted  cavalry  and  Kent's  Division  of  infantry 
were  directed  on  the  Santiago  road,  the  head  of  the  column  resting  near 
El  Pozo,  toward  which  heights  Grimes'  battery  moved  on  the  afternoon  of 
the  thirtieth,  with  orders  to  take  position  there  early  the  next  morning,  and 
at  the  proper  time  prepare  the  way  for  the  advance  of  Wheeler  and  Kent  on 
San  Juan  hill.  The  attack  at  this  point  was  to  be  delayed  until  Lawton's 
guns  were  heard  at  El  Caney  and  his  infantry  fire  showed  he  had  become 
well  engaged. 

The  preparations  were  far  from  what  I  desired  them  to  be,  but  we  were 
in  a  sickly  climate,  our  supplies  had  to  be  brought  forward  by  a  narrow 
wagon  road,  which  the  rains  might  at  any  time  render 

impassable  ;  fear  was  entertained  that  a  storm  might  drive     .  e{ 

.to  Give  Battle. 

the  vessels  containing  our  stores  to  sea,  thus  separating  us 
from  our  base  of  supplies,  and  lastly,  it  was  reported  that  General  Pando, 
with  8,000  reinforcements  for  the  enemy,  was  en  route  from   Manzanillo, 
and  might  be  expected  in  a  few  days.     Under  these  conditions  I  determined 
to  give  battle  without  delay. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  July  i,  Lawton  was  in  a  position  around  El 
Caney  ;  ChafTee's  Brigade  on  the  right,  across  the  Guantanamo  road ;  Miles' 
Brigade  in  the  centre  and  Ludlow's  on  the  left.  The  duty  of  cutting  off  the 
enemy's  retreat  along  the  Santiago  road  was  assigned  to  the  latter  brigade. 
The  artillery  opened  on  the  town  at  6.15  a.  m.  The  battle  here  soon  became 
general  and  was  hotly  contested.  The  enemy's  position  was  naturally  strong, 
and  was  rendered  more  so  by  block  houses,  a  stone  fort  and  intrenchments 
cut  in  solid  rock  and  the  loop-holing  of  a  solidly  built  stone  church. 
The  opposition  offered  by  the  enemy  was  greater  than  had  been  antici- 
pated, and  prevented  Lawton  from  joining  the  right  of  the  main  line 
during  the  day  as  had  been  intended.  After  the  battle  had  continued 
for  soi  le  time,  Bates'  Brigade  of  two  regiments  reached  my  headquar- 
ters from  Siboney.  I  directed  him  to  move  near  El  Caney  to  give 
assistance,  if  necessary.  He  did  so,  and  was  put  in  position  between 
Miles  and  Chaffee.  The  battle  continued  with  varying  intensity  during  most 
of  the  day,  and  until  the  place  was  carried  by  assault  about  4.30  p.  m.  As 
the  Spaniards  endeavored  to  retreat  along  the  Santiago  road,  Ludlow's 


I92  THE  STORY  OF  VSANTIAGO\S   DOWNFAU,. 

position  enabled  Ijim  to  do  very  effective  work  and  to  practically  cut  off 
all  the  retreat  in  that  direction. 

After  the  battle  at  El  Caney  was  well  opened,  and  the  sound  of  the 

small  arm  fire  caused  us  to  believe  that  Lawton  was  driving  the  enemy 

before  him,  I  directed  Grimes'  battery  to  open  fire  from 

Batte"'  the    heigllts    °f    E1    Poz°    on    the    San    Juan    block    house, 

which  could  be  seen  situated  in  the  enemy's  intrench- 
men^s  extending  along  the  crest  of  San  Juan  hill.  The  fire  was  effective, 
and  tlie  enemy  could  be  seen  running  away  from  the  vicinity  of  the  block 
house.  The  artillery  fire  from 'El  Pozo  was  soon  returned  by  the  enemy's 
artillery.  They  evidently  had  the  range  of  this  hill,  and  their  first  shells 
killed  and  wounded  several  men.  As  the  Spaniards  used  smokeless 'powder, 
it  was  very  difficult  to  locate  the  position  of  their  pieces,  while  on  the  con- 
trary the  smoke  caused  by  our  black  powder  plainly  indicated  the  location 
of  our  battery. 

At  this  time  the  cavalry  division  under  General  Sumner,  which  was 
lying  concealed  in  the  general  vicinity  of  the  El  Pozo  house,  was  ordered 
forward,  with  directions  to  cross  the  San  Juan  river  and  deploy  to  the  right 
on  the  Santiago  side,  while  Kent's  Division  was  to  follow  closely  in  its  rear 
and  deploy  to  the  left. 

These  troops  moved  forward  in  compliance  with  orders,  but  the  road 
was  so  narrow  as  to  render  it  impracticable  to  retain  the  column-of-fours 
formation  at  all  points,  while  the  undergrowth  on  either  side  was  so  dense 
as  to  preclude  the  possibility  of  deploying  skirmishers.  It  naturally  resulted 
that  the  progress  made  was  slow,  and  the  long  range  rifles  of  the  enemy's 
infantry  killed  .and  wounded  a  number  of  our  men  while  marching  along 
this  road,  and  before  there  was  any  opportunity  to  return  this  fire.  At  this 
time  Generals  Kent  and  Sumner  were  ordered  to  push  forward  with  all  possi- 
ble haste,  and  place  their  troops  in  position  to  engage  the  enemy.  General 
Kent,  with  this  end  in  view,  forced  the  head  of  his  column  alongside  of  the 
cavalry  column  as  fast  as  the  narrow  trail  permitted,  and  thus  hurried  his 
arrival  at  the  San  Juan  and  the  formation  beyond  that  stream.  A  few  hun- 
dred yards  before  reaching  the  San  Juan  the  road  forks,  a  fact  that  was  dis- 
covered by  Lieutenant  Colonel  Derby,  of  my  staff,  who  had  approached  well 
to  the  front  in  a  war  balloon.  This  information  he  furnished  to  the  troops, 
resulting  in  Sumner  moving  on  the  left-hand  road,  while  Kent  was  enabled 
to  utilize  the  road  to  the  right. 

General  Wheeler,  the  permanent  commander  of  the  cavalry  division,  who 
had  been  ill,  came  forward  during  the  morning,  and  later  returned  to  duty,  and 
rendered  most  gallant  and  efficient  service  during  the  remainder  of  the  day. 


Copyright,  1898,  by  the  Woolfall  Company.  From  tne  original  drawing  by  J.  Steeple  .Duvis. 

CAPRON'S  BATTERY  IN  ACTION  BEFORE  THE  DEFENCE  OF  SANTIAGO. 


Copyriuht,  1898,  by  the  Woolfall  Company.  The  People's  Standard  History  of  the  United  States. 

THE  BATTLE  OF  SAN  JUAN— CHARGE  UP  THE  HILT 


ON  THE  WATCH  FOR  SPANISH  VESSELS  OFF  THE  CUBAN  COAST. 


MEETING  OF  GENERALS  SHAFTER  AND  TORAL  PREPARATORY  TO  THE 
SPANISH  SURRENDER  AT  SANTIAGO,  JUNE  17,   1808. 


^Aii£ 


SCENES  IN  AND  AROUND  TAMPA  BEFORE  THE  START  FOR  CUBA. 


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THE   STORY   OF  SANTIAGO'S   DOWNFALL.  193 

After  crossing  the  stream  the  cavalry  moved  to  the  right,  with  a  view 
of  connecting  with  Lawton's  left  when  he  could  come  up,  and  with  their 
left  resting  near  the  Santiago  road. 

In  the  meantime  Kent's  Division,  with  the  exception  of  two  regiments 
of  Hawkins'  Brigade,  being  thus  uncovered,  moved  rapidly  to  the  front  from 
the  forks  in  the  road  previously  mentioned,  utilizing  both 

trails,  but  more  especially  the  one  to  the  left,  and  crossing  , 

&    Brigade  Suffered. 

the  creek,  formed  for  attack  in  the  front  of  San  Juan  hill. 
During  this  formation,  the  Second  Brigade  suffered  severely.  While  person- 
ally superintending  this  movement,  its  gallant  commander,  Commodore 
Wikoff,  was  killed.  The  command  of  the  brigade  then  devolved  upon 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Worth,  Thirteenth  Infantry,  who  was  soon  severely 
wounded,  and  next  upon  Lieutenant-Colonel  Liscum,  Twenty-fourth  Infan- 
try, who  five  minutes  later  also  fell  under  the  terrible  fire  of  the  enemy,  and 
the  command  of  the  brigade  then  devolved  upon  Lieutenant-Colonel  Ewers, 
Ninth  Infantry. 

While  the  formation  just  described  was  taking  place,  General  Kent 
took  measures  to  hurry  forward  his  rear  brigade.  The  Tenth  and  Second 
Infantry  were  ordered  to  follow  WikofPs  Brigade,  while  the  Twenty-first  was 
sent  on  the  right  hand  road  to  support  the  First  Brigade,  under  General 
Hawkins,  who  crossed  the  stream  and  formed  on  the  right  of  the  division. 
The  Second  and  Tenth  Infantry,  Colonel  E.  P.  Pearson  commanding,  moved 
forward  in  good  order  on  the  left  of  the  division,  passed  over  a  green  knoll, 
and  drove  the  enemy  back  toward  his  trenches. 

After  completing  their  formation  under  a  destructive  fire,  and  advancing 
a  short  distance,  both  divisions  found  in  their  front  a  wide  bottom,  in  which 
had  been  placed  a  barbed  wire  entanglement,  and  beyond 

which  there   was  a  high  hill,  along  the  crest  of  which 

Barricades. 

the  enemy  was  strongly  posted.     Nothing  daunted,  these 
gallant  men   pushed  on  to  drive  the  enemy  from  his  chosen  position,  both 
divisions    losing  heavily.      In  this  assault,  Colonel  Hamilton,  Lieutenants 
Smith  and  Ship  were  killed,  and  Colonel  Carroll,  Lieutenants  Thayer  and 
Myer,  all  in  the  cavalry,  were  wounded. 

In  this  fierce  encounter  words  fail  to  do  justice  to  the  gallant  regi- 
mental commanders  and  their  heroic  men,  for  while  the  generals  indicated 
the  formations  and  the  points  of  attack,  it  was,  after  all,  the  intrepid  bravery 
of  the  subordinate  officers  and  men  that  planted  our  colors  on  the  crest  of 
San  Juan  hill  and  drove  the  enemy  from  his  trenches  and  blockhouses,  thus 
gaining  a  position  which  sealed  the  fate  of  Santiago. 

In   this   action  *  on  the  part   of  the  field,  most   efficient  service  was 
13 


f94  THE   STORY   OF  SANTIAGO'S   DOWNFALL. 

v 

rendered  by  Lieutenant  John  H.  Parker,  Thirteenth  Infantry,  and  the  Catling 
gun  detachment  imder  his  command.  The  fighting  continued  at  intervals 
until  nightfall,  but  our  men  held  resolutely  to  the  positions  gained  at  the 
cost  of  so  much  blood  and  toil. 

I  am  greatly  indebted  to  General  Wheeler,  who,  as  previously  stated, 
returned  from  the  sick  list  to  duty  during  the  period.  His  cheerfulness  and 
aggressiveness  were  efficiently  felt  on  this  occasion,  and  the  assistance  he 
furnished  at  various  stages  of  the  battle  proved  to  be  the  most  useful. 

My  own  health  was  impaired  by  over-exertion  in  the  sun   ard  intense 

heat  of  the  day  before,  which  prevented  me  from  participating  as  actively 

in  the    battle    as    I    desired,  but  from    a  hill   near    my 

*          headquarters   I   had   a  general    view   of  the    battlefield, 

extending  from  El  Caney  on  the  right  to  the  left  of  our 

lines  on  San  Juan  hill. 

General  Duffield,  with  the  Thirty-third  Michigan,  attacked  Aguadores, 
as  ordered,  but  was  unable  to  accomplish  more  than  to  detain  the  Spaniards 
in  that  vicinity. 

On  the  night  of  July  i,  I  ordered  General  Duffield,  at  Siboney,  to  send 
forward  the  Thirty-fourth  Michigan  and  the  Ninth  Massachusetts,  both  of 
which  had  just  arrived  from  the  United  States.  These  regiments  reached 
the  front  the  next  morning. 

All  day  on  the  second  the  battle  raged  with  more  or  less  fury,  but  such 
of  our  troops  as  were  in  a  position  at  daylight  held  their  ground,  and  Lawton 
gained  a  strong  and  commanding  position  on  the  right. 

About  10  p.  m.  the  enemy  made  a  vigorous  assault  to  break  through 
our  lines,  but  he  was  repulsed  at  all  points. 

On  the  morning:  of  the  third  the  battle  was  renewed, 
Renewed. 

but  the  enemy  seemed  to  have  expended  his  energy  in  the 
assault  of  the  previous  night,  and  the  firing  along  the  lines  was  desultory, 
until  stopped  by  my  sending  the  following  letter  within  the  Spanish  lines. 

HEADQUARTERS  FIFTH  ARMY  CORPS, 

CAMP  NEAR  SAN  JUAN  RIVER,  CUBA,  July  6. 
The  General-in-Chief  commanding  the  Spanish  forces,  Santiago  de  Cuba: 

SIR  : — In  view  of  the  events  of  the  third  instant  I  have  the  honor  to  lay  before  your 
Excellency  certain  propositions,  to  which  I  trust  your  Excellency  will  give  the  consideration 
which  in  my  opinion  they  deserve. 

2.  I  inclose  a  bulletin  of  the  engagement  of  Sunday  morning,  which  resulted  in  the  com- 
plete destruction  of  Admiral  Cervera's  fleet,  the  loss  of  600  of  his  officers  and  men,  and  the 
capture  of  the  remainder.  The  Admiral,  General  Paredes  and  all  others  who  escaped  alive  are 
now  prisoners  on  board  the  "  Harvard  "  and  "St.  Louis,"  and  the  latter  ship,  in  which  are  the 
Admiral,  General  Paredes  and  the  surviving  captains  (all  except  the  captain  of  the  "  Almirante 
O(,uendo,"  who  was  killed),  has  already  sailed  for  the  United  States  . 


THE  STORY  OF  SANTIAGO'S   DOWNFALL.  195 

If  desired  by  you,  this  may  be  confirmed  by  your  Excellency  sending  an  officer  under  a 
flag  of  truce  to  Admiral  Sampson  and  he  can  arrange  a  visit  to  the  "  Harvard,"  which  will  not 
sail  until  to-morrow,  and  obtain  the  details  from  Spanish  officers  and  men  aboard  that  ship. 

3.  Our  fleet  is  now  perfectly  free  to  act,  and  I  have  the  honor  to  state  that  unless  a  surrender 
be  arranged  by  noon  of  the  ninth  instant,  a  bombardment  of  the  city  will  be  begun  and  con- 
tinued with  the  heavy  guns  of  our  ships.     The  city  is  within  easy  range  of  these  guns,  the 
8-inch  being  capable  of  firing  9,500  yards,  the  13-inch  of  course  much  further.     The  ships  can  so 
lie  that  with  a  range  of  8,000  yards  they  can  reach  the  centre  of  the  city. 

4.  I  make  this  suggestion  of  a  surrender  purely  in  a  humanitarian  spirit.     I  do  not  wish  to 
cause  the  slaughter  of  any  more  men  either  of  your  Excellency's  forces  or  our  own;  the  final 
result  under  circumstances  so  disadvantageous  to  your  Excellency  being  a  foregone  conclusion. 

5.  As  your  Excellency  may  wish  to  make  reference  of  so  momentous  a  question  to  your 
Excellency's  home  government,  it  is  for  this  purpose  that  I  have  placed  the  time  of  the  resump- 
tion of  hostilities  sufficiently  far  in  the  future  to  allow  a  reply  being  received. 

6.  I  beg  an  early  answer  from  your  Excellency. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be, 

Your  Excellency's  obedient  servant, 

W.  R.  SHAFTER, 

Major-  General. 

I  was  of  the  opinion  that  the  Spaniards  would  surrender  if  given  a 
little  time,  and  I  thought  this  result  would  be  hastened  if  the  men  of  their 
army  could  be  made  to  understand  they  would  be  well  treated  as  prisoners 
of  war.  Acting  upon  this  presumption  I  determined  to  offer  to  return  all 
the  wounded  Spanish  officers  at  El  Caney  who  were  able  to  bear  transporta- 
tion and  who  were  willing  to  give  their  paroles  not  to  serve  against  the  forces 
of  the  United  States  until  regularly  exchanged.  This  offer  was  made  and 
accepted.  These  officers,  as  well  as  several  of  the  wounded  Spanish  privates, 
twenty-seven  in  all,  were  sent  to  their  lines  under  the  escort  of  some  of  our 
mounted  cavalry.  Our  troops  were  received  with  honors,  and  I  have  every 
reason  to  believe  the  return  of  the  Spanish  prisoners  produced  a  good  im- 
pression on  their  comrades. 

The  cessation  of  firing  about  noon  on  the  third  practically  terminated  the 
battle  of  Santiago  ;  all  that  occurred  after  this  time  may 
properly  be  treated  under  the  head  of  the  siege  that  fol-  M 

lowed.  After  deducting  the  detachments  retained  at  Sib- 
oney  and  Baiquiri  to  render  those  depots  secure  from  attack,  organizations 
held  to  protect  our  flanks,  others  acting  as  escorts  and  guards  to  light  bat- 
teries, the  members  of  the  hospital  corps,  guards  left  in  charge  of  blanket 
rolls,  which  the  intense  heat  caused  the  men  to  cast  aside  before  entering 
battle,  orderlies,  etc.,  it  is  doubtful  if  we  had  more  than  twelve  thousand 
men  on  the  firing  line  on  July  i,  when  the  battle  was  fiercest  and  when  the 
important  and  strong  positions  of  El  Caney  and  San  Juan  were  captured. 

A  few  Cubans  assisted  in  the  attack  at  El  Caney  and  fought  valiantly, 
but  their  numbers  were  too  small  to  materially  change  the  strength,  as 


196  THE   STORY   OF  SANTIAGO'S   DOWNFALL. 

indicated  above.  The  enemy  confronted  us  with  numbers  about  equal  to  oui 
own  ;  they  fought  obstinately  in  strong  and  intrenched  positions,  and  the 
results  obtained  clearly  indicate  the  intrepid  gallantry  of  the  company, 
officers  and  men,  and  the  benefits  derived  from  the  careful  training  and 
instruction  given  in  the  company  in  recent  years  in  rifle  practice  and  other 
battle  exercises.  Our  losses  in  these  battles  were  twenty-two  officers  and 
208  men  killed,  and  eighty-one  officers  and  1,203  men  wounded;  missing, 
seventy-nine.  The  missing,  with  few  exceptions,  reported  later. 

The  arrival  of  General  Escario  at  Santiago  was  not  anticipated.  Gen- 
eral Garcia,  with  between  four  and  five  thousand  Cubans,  was  entrusted  with 
the  duty  of  watching  for  and  intercepting  the  Reinforcements  expected. 
This,  however,  he  failed  to  do,  and  Escario  passed  into  the  city  along  on  my 
extreme  right,  near  the  bay. 

After  the  destruction  of  Cervera's  fleet  I  again  called  on  the  Spanish 
commander  to  surrender.  On  the  same  date  I  informed  Admiral  Sampson 
that  if  he  would  force  his  way  into  the  harbor  the  city  would  surrender 
without  any  further  sacrifice  of  life.  Commodore  Watson  replied  that 
Admiral  Sampson  was  temporarily  absent,  but  that  in  his  (Watson's)  opinion 
the  navy  should  not  enter  the  harbor. 

The  strength  of  the  enemy's  position  was  such  I  did  not  wish  to  assault, 
if  it  could  be  avoided.  An  examination  of  the  enemy's  works,  made  after 
the  surrender,  fully  justified  the  wisdom  of  the  course  adopted.  The  in- 
trenchments  could  only  have  been  carried  with  very  great  loss  of  life. 

On  the  eleventh  the  surrender  was  again  demanded. 

u  er  ng  n        -g    ^j    ^  £e  ^    sickness  in  the  army  was  increasing:  very 
the  Trenches.  .     J 

rapidly,  as  a  result  of  exposure  in   the    trenches    to    the 

intense  heat  of  the  sun  and  the  heavy  rains.  Moreover,  the  dews  in  Cuba 
are  almost  equal  to  rains.  The  weakness  of  the  troops  was  becoming  so 
apparent  I  was  anxious  to  bring  the  siege  to  an  end,  but,  in  common  with 
most  of  the  officers  of  the  army,  I  did  not  think  an  assault  would  be  justi- 
fiable, especially  as  the  enemy  seemed  to  be  acting  in  good  faith  in  their  pre- 
liminary propositions  to  surrender. 

July    12,   I    informed  the  Spanish  Commander   that 

Major-General  Miles,  commander-in-chief  of  the  American 
General  Miles. 

Army,  had  just  arrived  in  my  camp,  and  requested  him  to 
grant  us  a  personal  interview  on  the  following  day.  He  replied  he  would 
be  pleased  to  meet  us.  The  interview  took  place  on  the  thirteenth,  and  I  in- 
ic/rmed  him  his  surrender  only  could  be  considered,  and  that  as  he  was  with- 
wUt  hope  of  escape  he  had  no  right  to  continue  the  fight.  This  hopeless 
condition  was  frankly  admitted  by  General  Toral,  who  after  communicating 


THE  STORY   OF  SANTIAGO'S   DOWNFALL. 


197 


to  General  Blanco  his  situation,  surrendered  his  army,  together  with  all  the 
Spanish  soldiers  in  the  province  of  Santiago. 

Before  closing  I  wish  to  dwell  upon  the  natural  obstacles  I  had  to  en- 
counter, and  which  no  foresight  could  have  overcome  or  obviated.  The 
rocky  and  precipitous  coast  afforded  no  sheltered  landing  places,  the  roads 
were  mere  bridle  paths,  the  effect  of  the  tropical  sun  and  rains  upon  unac- 
climated  troops  was  deadly,  and  the  dread  of  strange  and  unknown  diseases 
had  its  effect  on  the  army. 

At  Baiquiri  the  landing  of  the  troops  and  stores  was  made  at  a  small 
wooden  wharf,  which  the  Spaniards  tried  to  burn,  but  unsuccessfully,  and 
the  animals  were  pushed  into  the  water  and  guided  to  a  sandy  beach  about 
two  hundred  yards  in  extent.  At  Siboney  •  the  landing  was  made  on  the 
beach,  and  a  small  wharf  erected  by  the  engineers. 

In  spite  of  the  fact  that  I  had  nearly  one  thousand  men  continuously 
at  work  on  the  roads,  they  were  at  times  impassable  for 

wagons.     The  San  Juan  and  Aguadores  rivers  would  often 

Horrible  Roads  I 

suddenly  rise  so  as  to  prevent  the  passage  of  wagons,  and 
then  the  eight  pack  trains  with  the  command  had  to  be  depended  upon  for 
the  victualing  of  my  army,  as  well  as  the  20,000  refugees  who  could  not,  in 
the  interests  of  humanity,  be  left  to  starve  while  we  had  rations.     Often  for 
days  nothing  could  be  moved  except  on  pack  trains. 

In  reference  to  the  sick  and  wounded,  I  have  to  say  that  they  received 
every  attention  that  it  was  possible  to  give  them.  The 
medical  officers,  without  exception,  worked  night  and  day 
to  alleviate  the  suffering,  which  was  no  greater  than  inva- 
riably accompanies  a  campaign.  It  would  have  been  better  if  we  had  had 
more  ambulances,  but  as  many  were  taken  as  was  thought  were  necessary, 
judging  from  previous  campaigns. 


The  Sick 
and  Wounded. 


V* 


i98  GENERAL  SHAFTER'S   ADDRESS  TO   HIS   ARMY. 


GENERAL  SHAFTER'S  ADDRESS  TO  HIS  ARMY. 

WHEN  the  perils  were  past,  the  victory  won,  and  the  graves  were 
closed  above  the  heroes  who  fell  on  bloody  fields  about  San- 
tiago, Major-General  Shafter  issued,  under  date  of  July  19,  1898, 
the  following  address  to  his  victorious  army : 

"  The  successful  accomplishment  of  the  campaign  against  Santiago, 
resulting  in  its  downfall  and  the  surrender  of  the  Spanish  forces  and  the 
capture  of  large  amounts  of  military  stores,  together  with  the  destruction 
of  the  entire  Spanish  fleet  in  the  harbor,  which,  upon  the  investment  of  the 
city,  was  forced  to  leave,  is  one  of  which  this  army  can  well  be  proud.  This 
has  been  accomplished  through  the  heroic  deeds  of  the  army,  and  to  its 
officers  and  men  the  major-general  commanding  offers  his  sincere  thanks, 
for  their  endurance  of  hardships  heretofore  unknown  in  the  American 
army. 

"  The  work  you  have  accomplished  may  well  appeal  to  the  pride  of 
your  countrymen,  and  has  been  rivaled  iipou  but  few  occasions  in  the 
world's  history.  Landing  upon  an  unknown  coast,  you  faced  dangers  in  dis- 
embarking and  overcame  obstacles  that,  even  in  looking  back,  seem  insur- 
mountable. 

"  Seizing,  with  the  assistance  of  the  navy,  the  towns  of  Baiquiri  and 
Siboney,  you  pushed  boldly  forth,  gallantly  driving  back  the  enemy's  out- 
post in  the  engagement  of  Las  Quasima,  and  completed  the  concentration  of 
the  enemy  near  Sevilla,  within  sight  of  the  Spanish  stronghold  at  Santiago 
de  Cuba.  The  outlook  froin  Sevilla  was  one  that  might  well  have  appalled 
the  stoutest  heart.  Behind  you  ran  a  narrow  road,  made  well  nigh  impassa- 
ble by  rains,  while  to  the  front  you  looked  out  upon  high  foothills 
covered  with  a  dense  tropical  growth,  which  could  only  be  traversed  by 
bridle  paths,  terminating  within  range  of  the  enemy's  guns. 

"  Nothing  deterred,  you  responded  eagerly  to  the  order  to  close  upon 
the  foe,  and,  attacking  at  Caney  and  San  Juan,  drove  him  from  work  to 
work  until  he  took  refuge  within  his  last  and  strongest  entrenchments, 
immediately  surrounding  the  city. 

"  Despite  the  fierce  glare  of  a  Southern  sun  and  rains  that  fell  in 
torrents,  you  valiantly  withstood  his  attempts  to  drive  you  from  the  position 
your  valor  had  won.  Holding  in  your  vise-like  grip  the  army  opposed  to 
you,  after  seventeen  days  of  .battle  and  siege,  you  were  rewarded  by  the  sur- 
render of  nearly  24,000  prisoners,  12,000  being  those  in  your  immediate 


THE  SANTIAGO  CAMPAIGN.  199 

front,  the  others  scattered  in  the  various  towns  of  Eastern  Cuba,  freeing 
completely  the  eastern  part  of  the  island  from  Spanish  troops. 

"  This  was  not  done  without  great  sacrifices.  The  death  of  230  gallant 
soldiers  and  the  wounding  of  1,284  others  shows  but  too  plainly  the  fierce 
contest  in  which  you  were  engaged.  The  few  reported  missing  are  undoubt- 
edly among  the  dead,  as  no  prisoners  were  lost. 

"  For  those  who  have  fallen  in  battle  with  you,  the  commanding  general 
sorrows,  and,  with  you,  will  ever  cherish  their  memory.  Their  devotion  to 
duty  sets  a  high  example  of  courage  and  patriotism  to  our  fellow-country- 
men. All  who  have  participated  in  the  campaign,  battle  and  siege  of  San- 
tiago de  Cuba  will  recall  with  pride  the  grand  deeds  accomplished,  and  will 
hold  one  another  dear  for  having  shared  in  the  suffering,  hardships  and 
triumphs  together.  All  may  well  feel  proud  to  inscribe  on  their  banners 
'the  name  of  Santiago  de  Cuba. 

"  By  command  of  Major-General  Shafter. 

"  E.  J.    McCLERNAND, 

"  Assistant  Adjutant-General" 


THE  SANTIAGO  CAMPAIGN. 

How  our  army  was  mobilized,  and  the  military  operations  in  Cuba 
and  Porto  Rico  conducted* 


BY 


A  the  general  commanding,  on  November  10,  1898,  General  Miles  made  his  report  to 
the  War  Department,  of  the  campaigns  in  Cuba  and  Porto  Rico.  Prefatory  to  his 
descriptions  of  the  active  engagements  of  our  forces  on  foreign  soil,  he  represented 
the  condition  of  our  army  at  the  outbreak  of  the  war  with  Spain,  and  recapitulated 
the  measures  taken  by  Congress  to  prepare  the  country  for  offensive  operations. 
Continuing  his  report,  General  Miles  wrote  : 

At  the  beginning  of  the  war  the  problem  was  largely  a  naval  one,  and 
military  operations  had  to  be  delayed,  pending  the  success  or  failure  of  the 
naval  forces.  There  were  two  obstacles  to  be  avoided — one  was  placing  an 


200  THE  SANTIAGO   CAMPAIGN. 

army  on  the  Island  of  Cuba  before  our  navy  controlled  the  Cuban  waters, 
and  the  other  was  putting  an  army  on  the  island  at  a  time  when  a  large 
number  of  the  men  must  die  from  the  diseases  that  have  prevailed  in  that 
country,  according  to  all  statistics,  for  the  last  one  hundred  years. 

As  soon  as  hostilities   were  commenced,  expeditions  were  organized  to 
aid  the  Cubans,   and  the  attempts  of  Lieutenant  Rowan  and  Lieutenant 
Whitney    to    ascertain    existing  conditions    in    Cuba  and 
Organizing  the      Porto  Rico  proved  very  successful. 

Expeditions.  Definite  information  having  been  received  that  Cer- 

vera's  fleet  had  been  enclosed  in  the  harbor  of  Santiago  de 
Cuba  by  the  navy,  orders  were  given  to  General  Shafter,  May  30,  1898,  to 
place  his  troops  on  transports  and  go  to  the  assistance  of  the  navy  in 
capturing  that  fleet  and  harbor.  I  desired  to  go  with  this  expedition,  and 
on  June  5  sent  a  telegram  to  the  Secretary  of  War,  requesting  that  I  be 
allowed  to  do  so.  The  next  day  I  received  a  message,  asking  the  earliest 
moment  I  could  have  an  expedition  ready  to  go  to  Porto  Rico  large  enough 
to  take  and  hold  the  island  without  the  force  under  General  Shafter,  to  which 
I  answered  by  a  promise  to  have  everything  in  readiness  within  ten  days. 

It  was  found  that  many  of  the  steamers  were  not  suitable  for  transport 
service,  they  having  been  built  entirely  for  freight  steamers  and  not 
equipped  for  properly  conveying  troops  and  munitions  of  war.  Notwith-* 
standing  which  difficulties,  the  expedition  sailed  on  June  14. 

On  June  24  I  submitted  a  plan  of  campaign,  and  two  days  later  received 
an  order  to  organize  an  expedition  for  operation  against  the  enemy  in  Cuba 
and  Porto  Rico.     This  order  directed  that  "  the  command 
Campaign  Plan     under  Major-General   Shafter,  or  such  part  thereof  as  can 
Submitted.        be  spared   from  the  work  now  in  hand,  will  join  the  fore- 
going expedition  (General  Brooke's),  and  you  will  com- 
mand the  forces  thus  united  in  person." 

I  was  also  directed  to  confer  with  the  senior  officer  of  the  navy  in  those 
waters,  with  a  view  to  harmonious  action,  and  arrangements  were  also  com- 
pleted with  General  Garcia  for  the  co-operation  of  the  Cuban  with  the 
American  troops. 

The  expedition  against  Santiago,  commanded  by  Major-General  Shafter, 
landed  at  Baiquiri  and  Siboney  June  22,  23  and  24.     The  subsequent  move- 
ments of  the  expedition   against  the  garrison  of  Santiago 
Shafter's  Report    were  described  in  full,  including  the  reports  from  General 
From  Santiago.     Shafter,  telling  of  the  taking  of  El  Caney,  reporting  the 
fact  that  he  had  been  ill  for  four  days  and  that  he  was 
urging  Admiral  Sampson  to  try  to  enter  the  bay.     To  this  I  sent  a  dispatch, 


THE  SANTIAGO  CAMPAIGN.  sot 

advising  that  I  would  be  with  him  (General  Shafter)  in  a  week,  with  strong 
reinforcements. 

General  Shafter,  on  July  4,  sent  word  that  if  Admiral  Sampson  could 
force  an  entrance  with  all  his  fleet  to  the  upper  bay  of  Santiago  he  (Shafter) 
could  take  the  place  in  a  few  hours,  and  asking  for  15,000  more  men,  if  the 
army  was  to  capture  the  place  by  assault.  It  was  then  decided  that  I  should 
go  to  Santiago  at  once,  and  I  accordingly  did  so,  reaching  that  point  on 
July  i.  The  fleet  under  Admiral  Sampson  was  then  bombarding  the  Spanish 
position. 

At  my  request  Admiral  Sampson  came  over  and  a  conference  was  held, 
the  Admiral  agreeing  to  my  plans  as  to  the  co-operation 

r     ,  ,       ,        ,.  -  Conference  With 

of  the  navy  in  the  landing  of  troops.  s 

When  this  arrangement  had  been  concluded,  I  went 

on  shore  and  opened  communication  with  General  Shafter.  I  asked  him  if 
he  had  sufficient  troops  on  the  east  side  of  the  harbor  of  Santiago  to  main- 
tain his  position,  and  he  replied  that  he  had.  I  then  gave  directions  for 
General  Garretson  to  disembark  all  the  troops  whenever  he  should  receive 
orders.  , 

On  the  following  morning  (July  9th)  I  rode  from  Siboney  to  the  head- 
quarters of  General  Shafter.  After  consulting  with  him,  he  sent  a  com- 
munication to  General  Toral,  saying  that  the  commanding  general  of  the 
American  army  had  arrived  in  his  camp  with  reinforcements,  and  that  we 
"desired  to  meet  him  between  the  lines  at  any  time  agreeable  to  him.  He 
replied  that  he  would  see  us  at  12  O'clock  the  following  day.  That  evening 
I  became  apprised  of  the  fact  that  negotiations  regarding  a  surrender  had 
been  pending  between  the  commanding  general  and  the  Spanish  com- 
mander, but  no  definite  conclusions  had  been  reached. 

At  the  appointed  time,  accompanied  by  Major  General  Shafter  and 
several  others,  I  met  the  Spanish  general,  Toral,  with  two  of  his  staff  officers 
and  an  interpreter.  After  some  conversation  between  General  Toral  and 
General  Shafter,  I  informed  General  Toral  distinctly  that  I  had  left  Washing- 
ton six  days  before  ;  that  it  was  then  the  determination  of 


the  government  that    this  portion  of  the  Spanish  forces    An  U™"tum  t0 


must  either  be  destroyed  or  captured  ;  that  I  was  there  with 
sufficient  reinforcements  to  accomplish  that  object,  and  that  if  this  was  not 
the  case  any  number  of  troops  would  be  brought  there  as  fast  as  steamers 
could  bring  them  if  it  took  50,000  men. 

I  told  him  that  we  offered  him  liberal  terms,  namely,  to  return  his 
troops  to  Spain  ;  and  I  also  pointed  out  the  fact  that  this  was  the  only  way 
in  which  his  forces  could  return,  they  being  on  an  island  3,000  miles  away 


202  THE  SANTIAGO   CAMPAIGN. 

from  their  own  country  with  no  means  of  succor.  He  said  that  under  the 
Spanish  law  he  was  not  permitted  to  surrender  as  long  as  he  had  ammunition 
and  food,  and  that  he  must  maintain  the  honor  of  the  Spanish  arms.  My 
reply  was  that  he  had  already  accomplished  that ;  that  he  must  now  surren- 
der or  take  the  consequences,  and  that  I  would  give  him  until  daylight  the 
next  morning  to  decide.  He  appealed  for  longer  time,  saying  it  was  impos- 
sible for  him  to  communicate  with  his  superiors,  and  upon  his  request  I 
granted  him  until  12  o'clock  noon  of  the  following  day. 

The  situation  I  promptly  communicated  to  Washington,  and  in  reply  a 

telegram  was  received  leaving  the  matter  entirely  to  my  discretion — to  accept 

surrender,  order  an  assault,  or  withhold  the  same.     This 

°"*ry          s  dispatch,  however,  ordered   a  consultation  with  Admiral 

Sampson,  and  urged  a  prompt  settlement  of  the  matter. 

Orders  were  at  once  issued  to  General  Henry  to  be  ready  to  land  the  men 
on  the  transports,  and  to  Admiral  Sampson  to  cover  the  debarkation  with 
the  fleet.  A  letter  was  received  at  this  time  from  General  Toral,  asking  for 
•  another  meeting,  which  I  promptly  granted. 

On  meeting  General  Toral,  by  appointment,  at  12  o'clock"  that  day, 
(July  nth)  under  a  flag  of  truce,  at  the  same  place  as  be- 
°g3  gr*e  fore,  he  stated  that  he  was  prepared  to  surrender  his  com- 

mand, and  that  such  action  was  approved  by  Captain- 
General  Blanco,  who  had  authorized  him  to  appoint  commissioners  to  agree 
upon  the  clauses  of  capitulation,  which  he  was  prepared  to  do,  but  that 
before  final  action  it  was  proper  that  the  government  at  Madrid  should 
know  and  approve  what  was  done. 

He  said,  however,  that  he  was  sure  that  the  government  would  not  fail 
to  endorse  his  action.  His  manner  was  so  sincere  and  the  language  of 
General  Blanco  so  positive  that  I  felt  no  hesitancy  in  accepting  it  in  good 
faith,  and  stated  that  we  would  accept  the  surrender,  under  the  condition 
that  the  Spanish  troops  should  be  repatriated  by  the  United  States.  Gen- 
eral Toral  stated  that  he  would  surrender  all  the  troops  in  the  department  o£ 
Santiago  de  Cuba,  many  of  them  from  seventy  to  100  miles  distant,  and 
against  whom  not  a  shot  had  been  fired  ;  yet  the.  activity  of  the  Cuban 
troops  and  their  dispositions  had  been  such  as  to  render  the  Spanish  posi- 
tions exceedingly  perilous.  The  surrender  being  regarded  as  an  accom- 
plished fact,  I  sent  word  to  that  effect  to  Washington  and  informed  General 
Shafter  that  he  could  appoint  the  commissioners  to  complete  arrangements 
for  carrying  out  the  terms  of  surrender. 

There  was  some  delay  in  the  final  capitulation,  owing  to  the  non-agree- 
ment at  first  between  the  two  commissions  as  to  the  disposition  of  the  small 


THE  SANTIAGO   CAMPAIGN.  203 

arms,  but  it  was  finally  settled  by  leaving  it  to  the  decision  of  our  govern- 
ment upon  the  recommendation  of  our  commissioners  that  they  should  be 
sent  to  Spain  with  the  troops. 

My  chief  desire,  after  being  sure  of  the  surrender  of  the  garrison  at 
Santiago,  was  to  relieve  our  troops  as  speedily  as  possible  by  getting  them 
away  from  the  trenches  and  malarial  grounds  upon  which  they  were 
encamped. 

Regarding  the  question  of  command,  the  following  despatches  are  given 
in  the  report  : 

SIBONEY,  July  //,  1898. 
General  MILES,  on  Board  "  Yale  ".- 

Letters  and  orders  in  reference  to  movement  of  camp  received  and  will  be  carried  out. 
None  is  more  anxious  than  myself  to  get  away  from  here.  It  seems,  from  your  orders  given 
me,  that  you  regard  my  force  as  a  part  of  your  command.  Nothing  will  give  me  greater  pleas- 
ure than  serving  under  you,  General,  and  I  shall  comply  with  all  your  requests  and  directions, 
but  I  was  told  by  the  Secretary  that  you  were  not  to  supersede  me  in  command  here.  I  will 
furnish  the  information  called  for  as  to  condition  of  command  to  Gilmore,  Adjutant-General, 
Army  Headquarters. 

SH AFTER,  Major-General. 

HEADQUARTERS  OF  THE  ARMY, 

Pl,AYA  DEI,  ESTE,  July  f8,  1898. 

General  SHAFTER  : 

Telegram  received.  Have  no  desire  and  have  carefully  avoided  any  appearance  of  super- 
seding you.  Your  command  is  a  part  of  the  United  States  army,  which  I  have  the  honor 
to  command,  having  been  duly  assigned  thereto,  and  directed  by  the  President  to  go  wherever 
I  thought  my  presence  may  be  required,  and  give  such  general  directions  as  I  thought  best 
concerning  military  matters,  and  especially  directed  to  go  to  Santiago  for  a  specific  purpose. 
You  will  also  notice  that  the  order  of  the  Secretary  of  War  of  July  13  left  the  matter  to  my 
discretion.  I  should  regret  that  any  event  would  cause  either  yourself  or  any  part  of  your 
command  to  cease  to  be  a  part  of  mine. 

Very  truly  yours, 

NEI^ON  A.  MII.ES, 
Major-General,  Commanding  United  States  Army. 

General  Miles  started  on  July  21  for  Porto  Rico,  having  obtained  the 
necessary  authority  from  Washington,  and  described  the  movements  at  that 
place,  including  the  change  in  plans  which  took  the  army  directly  to 
Guanica  instead  of  making  a  demonstration  at  Fort  Fajardo,  as  originally 
intended. 

After  the  landing  a  short  skirmish  followed,  in  which  the  Spanish 
troops  were  driven  off  and  the  American  flag  raised.  The  movements 
around  Ponce,  as  well  as  the  engagements  at  Guayama,  Harmigueros  and 
Coamo,  were  given  in  detail,  the  Sixteenth  Pennsylvania  being  credited 
with  an  admirably  executed  flank  movement  at  the  last  named  place.  The 
General  says  '. 


204  HOW  WE  CAPTURED  A  BLOCKHOUSE. 

"  During  the  nineteen  days  of  active  campaign  on  the  island  of  Porto 
Rico  a  large  portion  of  the  island  was  captured  by  the  United  States  forces 
and  brought  under  our  control.  The  Spaniards  had  been  defeated  or 
captured  in  the  six  different  engagements  which  took  place,  and  in  every 
position  they  had  occupied  up  to  that  time." 

General  Miles  closes  the  report  with  praise  for  the  manner  in  which 
the  army  behaved  and  with  a  recommendation  to  Congress  for  an  increase 
in  the  army. 


HOW  WE  CAPTURED   THE  BLOCKHOUSE  ON  SAN 

JUAN  HILL. 

BY 


{Lieutenant-Colonel  and  Brevet  Brigadier-General.} 

TO  enter  at  once   upon  a  description  of  the  most  important  events 
about  Santiago  in  which  my  regiment  participated  between  the 
first  and  seventeenth  of  July,  1898,  I  will  state  that  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  first  my  regiment  was  formed  at  the  head  of  the  Second 
Brigade  by  what  is  known   as  the   El    Paso  sugar  mill.     When  Capron's 
batteries  opened,  the  Spaniards  replied  to  us  sharply  with  shrapnel,  which 
killed  and  wounded  several  of  the  men  of  my  regiment.     We  then  inarched 
towards  the  right,  and  crossed  the  ford  before  the  balloon  came  down  there 
and  attracted  the  fire  of  the  enemy,  so  at  that  point  we  lost  no  one.     My 
orders  had  been  to  march  forward  until  I  should  join  General  Lawton's  right 
wing,  but  after  going  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile,  I  was  halted  and  told  to 
remain  in  reserve  near  the  creek  by  a  deep  lane. 

The  bullets  dropped  thick  among  us  for  the  next  hour  while  we  lay 
there,  and  many  of  my  men  were  killed  or  wounded.  Among  the  former 
was  Captain  O'Neill,  whose  loss  was  a  very  heavy  blow  to  the  regiment,  for 
he  was  a  singularly  gallant  and  efficient  officer.  Acting  Lieutenant  Haskell 
was  also  shot  at  this  time.  He  showed  the  utmost  courage  and  had  been  of 
great  use  during  the  fighting  and  marching. 

My  men  were  very  impatient  while  in  an  exposed  position  and  unable 
to  engage  the  enemy,  and  when  at  last  orders  were  received  to  move  forward 
in  support  of  the  regular  cavalry,  there  was  a  cheer  of  relief  and  defiance 


HOW   WE   CAPTURED   A   BLOCKHOUSE.  205 

that  manifested  the  sincere  relief  and  satisfaction  that  was  felt.  In  executing 
the  orders  given  I  advanced  the  regiment  in  column  of  companies,  each 
company  being  deployed  as  skirmishers,  as  the  exact  location  of  the  enemy 
was  not  yet  known,  except  that  we  knew  they  were  in  force  in  the  intrench- 
ments  ahead.  Accordingly  we  moved  through  several  skirmish  lines  of  the 
regiment  ahead  of  us,  as  it  seemed  to  me  our  only  chance  was  in  rushing  the 
intrenchments  in  front  ins%ad  of  firing  at  them  from  a  distance. 

Accordingly  we  charged  the  blockhouse  and  intrenchments  on  the  hill 
to  our  right  against  a  heavy  fire.  It  was  taken  in  good  style,  the  men  of  my 
regiment  thus  being  the  first  to  capture  any  fortified  posi- 
tion and  to  break  through  the  Spanish  lines.  The  guidons 
of  G  and  E  troop  were  first  at  this  point,  but  some  of  the 
men  of  A  and  B  troops,  who  were  with  me  personally,  got  in  ahead  of  them. 
At  the  last  wire  fence  up  this  hill  I  was  obliged  to  abandon  my  horse,  and 
after  that  we  went  on  foot. 

After  capturing  this  hill  we  first  of  all  directed  a  heavy  fire  upon  the 
San  Juan  hill  to  our  left,  which  was  at  the  time  being  assailed  by  the  regular 
infantry  and  cavalry,  supported  by  Captain  Parker's  Gatling  gunsf.  By  the 
time  San  Juan  was  taken,  a  Targe  force  had  assembled  on  the  hill  we  had 
previously  captured,  consisting  not  only  of  my  own  regiment,  but  of  the 
Ninth  and  portions  of  other  cavalry  regiments. 

We  then  charged  forward  under  a  very  heavy  fire  across  the  valley 
against  the  Spanish  intrenchments  on  the  hill  in  the  rear  of  San  Juan  hill, 
which  *we  also  took,  capturing  several  prisoners.  We  then  formed  in  what- 
ever order  we  could  and  moved  forward,  driving  the  Spanish  before  us  to 
the  crest  of  the  hills  in  front,  which  were  immediately  opposite  the  city  of 
Santiago  itself.  Here  I  received  orders  to  halt  and  hold  the  line  on  the  hill's 
crest.  I  had  at  the  time  fragments  of  the  Sixth  Cavalry  Regiment  and  an 
occasional  infantryman  under  me — three  or  four  hundred  men  all  told.  As 
I  was  the  highest  officer  there  I  took  command  of  all  of  them,  and  so  contin- 
ued till  next  morning. 

The  Spaniards  attempted  a  counter  attack  that  afternoon,  but  were  easily 
driven  back,  and  then,  until  after  dark,  we  remained  under  a  heavy  fire  iiom 
their  rifles  and  great  guns,  lying  flat  on  our  faces  on  a  gentle  slope  just 
behind  the  crest. 

Captain  Parker's  Gatling  battery  was  run  up  to  the     Throwing  Away 

.  Packs  to  Permit 

right  of  my  regiment  and  did  most  excellent  and  gallant       Free  Actf0n. 
service.     In  order  to  charge,  the  men  had  of  course  been 
obliged  to  throw  away  their  packs,  and  we  had  nothing   to  sleep  in  and 
nothing  to  eat.     We  were  lucky  enough,  however,  to  find  in  the  last  block- 


206  HOW   WE   CAPTURED   A   BLOCKHOUSE. 

house  captured  the  Spanish  dinners,  still  cooking,  which  we  ate  with  relish. 
They  consisted  chiefly  of  rice  and  peas,  with  a  big  pot  containing  a  stew  of 
fresh  meat,  probably  for  the  officers.  We  also  distributed  the  captured 
Spanish  blankets  as  far  as  they  would  go  among  our  men,  and  gathered 
a  good  deal  of  Mauser  ammunition  for  use  in  the  Colt  rapid-fire  guns, 
which  were  being  brought  up.  That  night  Wjg  dug  intrenchmenls  across 
the  iront. 

At  '.hree  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  Spaniards  made  another  attack 
upon  us,  which  was  easily  repelled,  and  at  four  they  opened  the  day  with  a 
heavy  rifle  and  shrapnel  fire.  All  day  long  we  remained  under  this,  replying 
whenever  we  got  the  chance.  In  the  evening,  at  about  eight  o'clock,  the 
Spaniards  fired  three  guns  and  then  began  a  very  heavy  rifle  attack,  their 
skirmishers  coining  well  forward. 

I  got  all  my  men  down  into  the  trenches,  as  did  the  other  command 
near  me,  and  we  opened  a  heavy  return  fire.  The  Spanish  advance  was  at 
once  stopped,  and  after  an  hour  their  fire  died  away.  This  night  we  com- 
pleted most  of  our  trenches  and  .began  to  build  bomb-proofs.  The  protection 
Afforded  our  men  was  good,  and  the  next  morning  I  had  but  one  man 
v/ounded  from  the  rifle  and  shell  fire  until  twelve  o'clock,  when  the  truce 
came. 

There  were  numerous  Red  Cross  flags  flying  in  various  parts  of  the 
city,  two  of  them  so  arranged  that  they  directly  covered  batteries  in  our  front 
and  for  some  time  were  the  cause  of  our  not  firing  at  them.  The  Spanish 
guerrillas  were  very  active,  especially  in  our  rear,  where  they  seemed  by 
preference  to  attack  the  wounded  men  who  were  being  carried  on  litters, 
the  doctors  and  medical  attendants  with  Red  Cross  flags  on  their  arms,  and 
the  burial  parties. 

I  organized  a  detail  of  sharpshooters  and  sent  them  out  after  the 
guerrillas,  of  whom  they  killed  thirteen.  Two  of  the  men  thus-killed  were 

shot  several  hours  after  the  truce  had  been  in  operation, 
Shooting  Our  Men  ,  .  .,         e   .•,.      f          .-,          ,        ,    ,-   . 

Aft     th    t  because,  in  spite  of  this  fact,  they  kept  firing    upon  our 

men  as  they  went  to  draw  water.  They  were  stationed  in 
the  trees,  as  the  guerrillas  were  generally,  and,  owing  to  the  density  of  the 
foliage  and  to  the  use  of  smokeless  powder,  it  was  an  exceedingly  diffi- 
cult matter  to  locate  them. 

For  the  next  seven  days,  until  the  tenth,  we  lay  in  our  line  while  the 
truce  continued.  We  had  continually  to  work  at  additional  bomb-proofs  and 
at  the  trenches,  and  as  we  had  no  proper  supply  of  food  and  utterly  inad- 
equate medical  facilities,  the  men  suffered  a  good  deal.  The  officers  chipped 
together,  purchased  beans,  tomatoes  and  sugar  for  the  men,  so  that  they 


HOW   WE   CAPTURED   A   BLOCKHOUSE.  207 

might  have  some  relief  from  the  bacon  and  hard-tack.  With  a  great  deal  of 
difficulty  we  got  them  coffee. 

As  for  the  sick  and  wounded,  they  suffered  so  in  the  hospitals  when 
sent  to  the  rear,  for  lack  of  food  and  attention,  that  we  found  it  best  to  keep 
them  at  the  front  and  give  them  such  care  as  our  own  doctors  could,  but 
thirteen  of  our  wounded  men  continued  to  fight  through  the  battle,  notwith- 
standing their  injuries.  In  spite  of  their  wounds  also  those  sent  to  the  rear, 
many  of  whom  were  .both  sick  and  wounded,  came  up  to  rejoin  us  as  soon 
as  their  condition  allowed  them  to  walk. 

On  the  tenth  the  truce  was  at  an  end  and  the  bombardment  reopened. 
As  far  as  our  lines  were  concerned,  it  was  on  the  Spanish  part  very  feeble. 
We  suffered  no  losses,  and  speedily  got  the  fire  from  their  trenches  in  our 
front  completely  under  control.  On  the  eleventh  we  moved  three-quarters 
of  a  mile  to  the  right,  the  truce  again  being  on.  Nothing  happened  there, 
except  we  continued  to  watch  and  do  our  best  to  get  the  men,  especially  the 
sick,  properly  fed.  Having  no  transportation,  and  being. able  to  secure  very 
little  through  the  regular  channels,  we  used  anything  we  could  find — cap- 
tured Spanish  cavalry  horses,  abandoned  mules,  some  of  which  had  been 
injured,  but  which  our  men  took  and  cured;  diminutive,  skinny  ponies 
purchased  from  the  Cubans,  etc.  By  these  means  and  by  the  exertions  of 
the  officers  we  were  able  from  time  to  time  to  get  supplies  of  beans,  sugar, 
tomatoes  and  even  oatmeal,  while  from  the  Red  Cross  people  we  got  an 
invaluable  load  of  rice,  corn  meal,  etc.  All  of  this  was  of  the  utmost  conse- 
quence, not  only  for  the  sick,  but  for  those  nominally  well,  as  the  lack  of 
proper  food  was  telling  terribly  on  the  men.  It  was  utterly  impossible  to 
get  them,  clothes  and  shoes.  Those  they  had  were  in  many  cases  lit  erally 
propping  to  pieces. 

On  the  seventeenth  the  city  surrendered.  On  the  eighteenth  we  shifted 
our  location  to  the  best  camp  we  had  had,  but  the  march  thither  under  the 
noonday  sun  told  very  heavily  on  our  men,  weakened  by  underfeeding  and 
overwork,  and  the  next  morning  123  cases  were  reported  to  the  doctor,  and 
but  half  of  the  600  men  with  which  I  landed  four  weeks  before,  were  fit  for 
duty,  and  these  not  fit  to  do  anything  like  the  work  they  could  do  then. 

As  we  had  but  one  wagon,  the  change  necessitated  leaving  much  of  my 
stuff  behind,  with  a  night  of  discomfort,  with  scanty  shelter  and  scanty  food 
for  the  most  of  the  officers  and  many  of  the  men.  Only  the  possession  of 
the  improvised  pack  train  alluded  to  above,  saved  us  from  being  worse. 


208         HOW   CERVERA'S   SQUADRON   WAS   ANNIHILATED. 


HOW  CERVERA'S  SQUADRON  WAS  ANNIHILATED, 


Story  of  the  Bloody   Sea  Fight   Before  Santiago  that  Destroyed  the 
Pride  of  the  Spanish  Navy. 

BY 


(Commander  of  the  Squadron  in  the  Fight.} 

IT  is  curious  how  little  things  often  determine  mighty  results.     After  a 
patient  and  weary  watch  for  many  days  under  a  tropic  sun,  surrounded 
by  the  most  exhausting  influences  of  climate,  imperfectly  fed,  vigilant 
day  and  night,  when  the  enemy  moved  it  is  a  high  tribute  to  my 
profession  that  it  was  simultaneously  discovered  by  every  ship  that  had  been 
set  to  watch  his  pent  up  squadron. 

Curiously  enough,  after  the  army  had  invested  Santiago  and  the  battle 
of  July  i  had  taken  place,  I  was  personally  impressed  with  the  idea  that  a 
critical  stage  in  the  proceedings  had  been  reached,  and  on  Saturday  night, 
which  preceded  the  Sunday  of  July  3,  now  so  famous  in  our  history,  I  felt 
sure  that  the  enemy  contemplated  an  immediate  movement  of  some  kind. 
This  impression  proved  to  be  correct,  and  the  only  thing  that  prevented  the 
movement  was  that  the  Spaniards,  who  had  occupied  the  hill  westward  c.2 
Santiago,  in  order  to  lose  no  time  in  retiring  upon  the  main  column,  had 
abandoned  their  blockhouses,  six  in  number,  which  were  immediately  seized 
by  American  troops  and  burned.  At  that  very  moment,  at  9.30  o'clock  at 
night,  the  Spanish  squadron  was  ready  to  get  under  way  ;  but  perceiving 
these  blockhouses  burning,  they  concluded  that  it  was  a 
NT  i*  k  signal  to  us,  as  there  were  six  vessels  in  their  squadron, 

and  decided  that  they  would  defer  their  movement  until 
morning.  That  was  the  critical  moment  in  Admiral  Cervera's  life.  It  was 
a  fatal  decision.  If  he  had  attempted  to  come  out  at  night  he  might  have 
saved  one  vessel,  but,  making  his  exit  in  the  daytime,  that  was  utterly  out 
of  the  question. 

In  one  minute  and  thirty  seconds  after  Cervera's  four  cruisers  and  two 
torpedo-boat  destroyers  appeared  we  opened  fire  upon  them.      It  wa*  ^ 


HOW   CERVERA'S  SQUADRON  WAS   ANNIHILATED.          209 

most  beautiful  sight  I  ever  saw.  These  six  vessels  appeared  at  the  harbor 
mouth  and  came  out  in  column.  That  means  in  line  ahead  and  at  correct 
distance.  When  they  emerged  I  was  standing  on  the  bridge  of  the  "  Brook- 
lyn," and  the  first  impression  I  received  was  that  it  was  a  Spanish  bull  fight, 
for  they  came  out  tail  up  and  head  down.  Their  appearance  was  the 
signal  for  an  instant  movement  on  our  part. 

The  admiral  had  been  called  to  the  eastward  to  have  a  consultation  with 
General  Shafter.  Before  leaving,  the  signal  was  made  to  disregard  the  orders 
of  the  commander-in-chief,  which  was  a  practical  announcement  to  the 
squadron  that  the  senior  officer  was  in  charge,  and  that,  fortunately  or  un- 
fortunately, happened  to  be  myself.  The  moment  the  enemy  appeared  the 
signal  was  hoisted  for  close  action.  It  was  followed  by  an  immediate  forward 
movement  by  the  squadron. 

It  was  difficult  to  determine  which  of  the  three  methods  would  be  chosen 
by  the  Spanish  Admiral.  If  he  intended  to  make  a  fight,  it  was  supposed 
that  he  would  avail  himself  of  the  protection  of  the  batteries  east  and  west 
of  the  harbor.  If  he  attempted  to  escape,  it  was  supposed  that  he  would 
take  either  the  eastern  or  the  western  course,  It  was  an  anxious  moment, 
and  required  quick  decision  and  quicker  action. 

Fortunately  he  chose  to  run,  and  changed  his  course  to  the  westward. 
All  our  vessels  had  closed  in  and  terrific  cannonading  had  begun.  Every- 
thing that  had  a  gun  seemed  to  be  firing.  The  "  Brooklyn  "  was  unques- 
tionably the  point  of  attack,  because  she  was  the  fleetest  ship.  In  the  few 
moments  that  I  had  to  think  of  the  movements  going  on  around  me,  I  was 
reminded  that  the  storm  of  projectiles  about  us  resembled  a  millpond  during 
a  hailstorm.  But  on  such  occasions  one  has  little  time  to  think  of  himself. 
I  was  not  personally  aware  tnat  a  shot  had  come  within  a  hundred  miles  of  _ 
us  until  a  man  was  killed  close  to  me,  and  a  searchlight  was  knocked  out 
near  by. 

The  question  to  be  decided  was  whether  we  were  to  mask  his  fleet  dur- 
ing a  precious  ten  or  fifteen  minutes,  or  to  turn  out  and  unmask  it,  and  the 
decision  was  made  to  turn  out.     The  result  was    that  in 
twenty-nine"  minutes  four  of  the  Spanish   ships  had  been     *  Canno-  Ball 

C 3  r ri cs   Aw3 v 

annihilated.     The  "  Vizcaya  "  and   the  "  Colon  "  were  left.    a  Sailor's  Head. 
These  two  put  their  helms  to  port  and  speeded  to  the  west- 
ward, but  the  fleet  "  Brooklyn  "  was  not  to  be  left,  and  after  a  running  fight 
of  fifty-four  minutes  the  "  Vizcaya  "  was  struck  over  one  hundred  times,  was 
set  on  fire,  lost  256  of  her  ship's  company  and  was  a  total  wreck.     That  was 
not,  however,  the  exclusive  work  of  the  "  Brooklyn,"  for  she  was  assisted 
magnificently  by  the  "  Oregon  "  and  the  "  Texas." 
14 


aio          HOW  CERVERA'S  SQUADRON   WAS   ANNIHILATED. 

In  the  meantime  the  *'  Colon "  had  speeded  up  considerably,  and  got 
very  nearly  out  of  range.  I  signaled  to  the  "  Texas  "  to  look  out  for  the 
"  Vizcaya,"  and  started  for  the  "  Colon,"  feeling  as  Lord  Nelson  did  at  Tra- 
falgar, that  if  one  vessel  got  away  the  victory  would  be  incomplete.  I  said 
to  Captain  Cook  that  we  might  go  to  dinner ;  that  we  would  have  half  to 
three-quarters  of  an  hour  before  we  would  be  within  fighting  range.  We 
went  to  dinner,  and  were  under  fire  for  thirty  minutes,  but  we  didn't  reply. 
We  felt  that  we  could  reserve  our  supply  for  better  use  than  target  practice. 
After  dinner,  additional  boilers  having  been  lighted,  speed  having  been 
increased,  we  were  coming  up  with  the  "  Colon  "  very  rapidly.  At  one  o'clock 
the  "  Oregon  "  and  the  "  Brooklyn  "  had  distanced  all  the  vessels. 

The   "  Oregon "  was  astern  of   the  "  Brooklyn "    about  four  hundred 

yards,  and  if  the  fight  had  continued  an  hour  longer  we  would  have  left  her 

entirely,  because  we  were  on  the  point  of  turning  on  two 

.  y"        more  boilers,  which  would  have  given  us  a  speed  of  nearly 
Deadly  Projectiles. 

three  knots  more  than  hers.  However,  I  signaled  from 
the  "  Brooklyn  "  to  the  "  Oregon  "  to  let  go  one  of  her  railroad  trains.  The 
projectile  that  followed  this  order  landed  just  astern  of  the  "Colon."  The 
a  Brooklyn  "  then  fired  an  8-inch  gun,  which  struck  about  the  same  distance 
ahead  of  her.  Clarke  signaled  to  me  where  iny  shot  had  fallen,  and  I  sig- 
naled back  to  him  where  his  had  gone.  The  second  shot  from  the  "  Oregon  " 
passed  over  and  aft  the  "  Colon,"  and  the  fourth  shot,  fired  from  the  "  Brook- 
lyn," struck  her  on  the  quarter,  exploded  in  her  cabin,  and  wrecked  it  com- 
pletely, when  the  enemy  fired  a  gun  to  leeward  and  hauled  down  his  colors 
and  started  for  the  beach. 

We  then  closed  in,  and  Captain  Cook  was  directed  to  go  on  board  and 
accept  the  surrender  on  unconditional  terms.  In  the  meantime  the  flagship 
"  New  York  "  came  up.  After  reporting  to  the  coinmander-in-chief  what 
had  fallen  under  my  observation,  a  report  came  that  the  "  Callao,"  a  Spanish 
ship,  was  on  the  coast.  The  commander-in-chief  said  he  wanted  me  to  go 
east  with  the  "  Oregon  "  and  complete  the  job.  We  started  out,  feeling  that 
there  was  nothing  which  carried  the  Spanish  flag  that  day  that  dared  come 
within 'the  battery  range  of  the  "  Brooklyn." 

The  battle  was  unique.  It  was  the  first  instance  in  history  where  a  sea 
fight  occurred  between  squadrons  of  nearly  equal  power  in  which  one  had  com- 
pletely annihilated  the  other  in  an  almost  bloodless  contest  for  the  victor.  I 
felt,  as  I  surveyed  the  scene  upon  the  bridge  of  the  "  Brooklyn,"  that  it  was 
an  epoch-making  day, 


THE   GREATEST  NAVAL  FIGHT  OF  MODERN  TIMES.        211 

THE  GREATEST  NAVAL  FIGHT  OF  MODERN  TIMES. 

BY 


(Commander  of  the  "Texas  "  During  the  Fight.} 

A*  9.30  o'clock  of  Sunday  morning,  July  3,  1898,  while  the  "  Texas" 
was  lying  directly  in  front  of  Santiago  harbor,  Lieutenant  M.  L. 
Bristol  saw  smoke  arising  between  Morro  Castle  and  La  Socapa. 
An  instant  later  the  nose  of  a  ship  poked  out  behind  the  Estrella 
battery.     Clash  went  the  electric  gongs  calling  the  ship's  company  to  general 
quarters.     Full  speed  ahead  plunged  the  "Texas"  toward  the  enemy,  and 
up  fluttered  the  vari-colored  flags  signaling  "  The  enemy  is  trying  to  escape." 
The   "  Brooklyn,"    "  Iowa "    and    "  Oregon "   responded   immediately.     All 
headed  toward  the  harbor  entrance,  being  then  about  two  and  a  half  miles 
away. 

There  was  much  suppressed  excitement  aboard  all  the  vessels  as  they 
sped  in  the  direction  of  the  enemy.  The  first  of  the  Spanish  squadron  to 
come  into  view  was  a  cruiser  of  the  "  Vizcaya  "  class,  the 
"Almirante  Oquendo."  Closely  following  her  came  the 
"  Cristobal  Colon,"  which  was  easily  distinguishable  by 
the  military  masts  between  her  two  smokestacks.  Then  came  the  two  other 
cruisers,  "  Vizcaya  "  and  "  Infanta  Maria  Teresa." 

Almost  before  the  leading  ship  was'  clear  of  the  shadow  of  Morro  Castle 
the  fight  had  begun.  Admiral  Cervera  started  it  by  a  shell  from  the 
"  Almirante  Oquendo,"  to  which  he  had  transferred  his  flag.  It  struck  none 
of  the  American  vessels.  In  a  twinkling  the  big-  guns  of  the  "  Texas  " 
belched  forth  their  thunder,  which  was  followed  immediately  by  a  heavy  fire 
from  our  other  ships.  The  Spaniards  turned  to  the  westward  under  full 
steam,  pouring  a  constant  fire  on  our  ships,  and  evidently  hoping  to  get  away 
by  their  superior  speed.  The  "  Brooklyn  "  directed  her  course  parallel  with 
that  of  the  Spaniards,  and,  after  getting  in  good  range,  began  a  running  fight. 

The  "  Texas,"  still  heading  in  shore,  kept  up  a  hot  exchange  of  shots 
with  the  foremost  ships,  which  gradually  drew  away  to  the  westward  under 


212       THE  GREATEST   NAVAL   FIGHT   OF  MODERN   TIMES. 

the  shadow  of  the  hills.     The  third  of  the  Spanish  vessels,  the  "  Vizcaya  "  or 

"  Infanta  Maria  Teresa,  "    was  caught  by  the  "  Texas  "  in  good   fighting 

range,  and   it  was  she  that  engaged  the  chief  attention  of 

'J[e?a**  ,ln    the  first  battleship  commissioned  in  the  American  Navy — 
the  Thick  of  It. 

the  old  hoodoo,  but  now  the  old  hero.  The  "  Texas  " 
pursued  her  adversary,  which,  however,  being  the  swifter  vessel,  we  were 
compelled  to  make  the  most  of  our  opportunity  while  in  range,  whicfr  we 
did  with  excellent  results,  for  our  shells  did  great  execution.  My  position 
was  on  the  bridge  until  the  concentrated  fire  of  the  "  Oquendo"  and  u  Vi»- 
caya  "  upon  the  u  Texas  '  compelled  me  to  seek  shelter  near  the  conning 
tower.  This  was  a  providential  move,  for  directly  after  a  shell  from  the 
"  Oquendo  "  burst  by  the  bridge  which  would  have  killed  every  one  who 
might  have  been  near  it.  For  nearly  an  hour  missies  whistled '  about  the 
"  Texas,"  one  of  which  struck  the  ash-hoist  and  exploded  in  the  smoke- 
stack, injuring  no  one,  however;  another  12-inch  Hontoria  shell  struck  the 
port  bow  above  the  water  line,  making  a  hole  large  enough  to  admit  a  man's 
body,  and  others  of  smaller  size  hit  various  parts  of  the  ship,  doing  consid- 
erable damage,  but  fortunately  none  of  my  men  were  injured. 

The  din  of  the  guns  was  so  terrific  that  orders  had  to  be  yelled  close  to 
the  messengers'  heads,  and  at  times  the  smoke  was  so  thick  that  absolutely 
nothing  could  be  seen.  Once  or  twice  the  1 2-inch  guns  in  the  turrets  were 
swung  across  the  ship  and  fired.  The  concussion  shook  the  great  vessel  as 
though  she  had  been  struck  by  a  great  ball,  and  everything  movable  was 
splintered.  The  men  near  the  guns  were  thrown  flat  on  their  faces.  One 
of  them,  a  seaman  named  Scram,  was  tumbled  down  a  hatch  into  the  for- 
ward handling  room,  his  leg  being  broken  by  the  fall. 

Meanwhile  the  "  Oregon "  had    come  in  on  the  run.     She  passed  the 

"Texas"  and  chased  after  Commodore  Schley,  on  the  "  Brooklyn,"  to  head 

off  the  foremost  of  the  Spanish  ships.     The  "  Iowa  "   also 

The  "Oregon"     turned  her  course  westward,  and  kept  up  a  hot  fire  on  the 

and  "  Iowa"  to 

the  Front.         running  enemy. 

At  10.10  o'clock  the  third  of  the  Spanish  cruisers,  the 

one  that  had  been  exchanging  compliments  with  the  "  Texas,"  was  seen  to 
be  on  fire  and  a  mighty  cheer  went  up  from  our  ships.  The  Spaniard  headed 
for  the  shore,  and  the  "  Texas  "  turned  her  attention  to  the  one  following. 
The  "  Brooklyn "  and  "  Oregon,"  after  a  few  parting  shots,  also  left  her 
contemptuously  and  made  all  steam  after  the  foremost  two  of  the  Spanish 
-ships,  "Almirante  Oquendo"  and  the  "Cristobal  Colon." 

Just  then  the  two  torpedo-boat  destroyers,  "  Pluton  "  and  "  Furor,"  were 
discovered,  They  had  come  out  after  the  cruisers  without  being  seen,  and 


THE   GREATEST   NAVAL   FIGHT  OF   MODERN  TIMES.       213 

were  boldly  heading  west  down  the  coast.  "  All  small  guns  on  the  torpedo 
boats  "  was  the  order  on  the  "  Texas,"  and  in  an  instant  a  hail  of  shot  was 
pouring  about  them.  A  6-pounder  from  the  starboard,  battery  of  the 
"  Texas,"  under  Ensign  Gise,  struck  the  foremost  torpedo  boat  fairly  in  the 
boiler.  A  rending  sound  followed  above  the  roar  of  battle.  A  great  spout 
of  black  smoke  shot  up  from  that  destroyer  and  she  was 
out  of  commission.  The  "  Iowa,"  which  was  coming  up 

Destroyers. 

fast,  threw    a  few    complimentary    shots    at    the   second 

torpedo-boat  destroyer  and  passed  on.     The  little  "Gloucester,"  formerly  J. 

Pierpont  Morgan's  yacht  "  Corsair,"   then  sailed  in  and  finished   the  second 

boat. 

Gun  for  gun,  and  shot  for  shot,  the  running  fight  was  kept  up  between 
the  Spanish  cruisers  and  the  four  American  vessels.  At  10.30  o'clock  the 
"  Infanta  Maria  Teresa  "  and  "  Vizcaya  "  were  almost  at  the  beach,  and  were 
evidently  in  distress.  As  the  "  Texas  "  was  firing  at  them  a  white  flag  was 
run  up  on  the  one  nearest  her.  Immediately  I  gave  the  order  to  cease  firing 
and  a  moment  later  both  the  Spaniards  were  beached.  Clouds  of  black  smoke 
arose  from  each,  and  bright  flashes  of  flame  could  be  seen  shining  through 
the  smoke.  Boats-were  visible  putting  out  from  the  cruisers  to  the  shore. 
The  "  Iowa "  waited  to  see  that  the  two  war  ships  were  really  out  of  the 
fight,  and  it  did  not  take  her  long  to  determine  that  they  would  never  do 
battle  again.  The  "  Iowa"  herself  had  suffered  some  very  hard  knocks. 

The  "  Brooklyn,"  "  Oregon,"  and  "  Texas "  pushed  ahead  after  the 
"  Colon  "  and  "  Almirante  Oquendo,"  which  were  now  running  the  race  of 
their  lives  along  the  coast.  At  10.50  o'clock,  when  Admiral  Cervera's  flag- 
ship, the  "Almirante  Oquendo,"  suddenly  headed  in  shore,  she •  had  the 
"  Brooklyn  "  and  "  Oregon  "  abeam  and  the  "  Texas  "  astern.  The  "  Brook- 
lyn "  and  "  Oregon "  pushed  on  after  the  "  Cristobal  Colon,"  which  was 
making  fine  time  and  which  looked  as  if  she  might  escape,  leaving  the 
"  Texas  "  to  finish  the  "  Almirante  Oquendo."  This  work  did  not  take  long. 
The  Spanish  ship  was  already  burning.  At  11.05  o'clock  down  came  a 
yellow  and  red  flag  at  her  stern.  Just  as  the  "  Texas  "  got  abeam  of  her  she 
was  shaken  by  a  mighty  explosion,  and  noting  her  destruction  the  "  Texas  " 
left  the  "  Almirante  Oquendo  "  to  her  fate  to  join  in  the  chase  of  the 
"  Cristobal  Colon." 

That  ship  in  desperation  was  ploughing  the  waters  at  a  rate  that  caused 
the  fast  "  Brooklyn  "  trouble  to  keep  the  pace,  and  the  "  Oregon  "  was  show- 
ing a  speed  truly  extraordinary  for  a  battleship,  while  the  "  Texas "  was 
making  a  new  record  since  her  trial  trip.  The  "  Brooklyn  "  might  have 
proved  a  match  for  the  "  Cristobal  Colon  "  in  speed,  but  she  was  not  supposed 


214       THE  GREATEST   NAVAL   FIGHT   OF   MODERN  TIMES. 

to  be  her  match  in  strength.  It  would  never  do  to  allow  even  one  of  the 
Spanish  ships  to  get  away.  Straight  into  the  west  the  strongest  chase  of 

modern  times  took    place,  the  "  Brooklyn  "  heading    the 
Greatest  Chase  of   pursuers>      gne  stoo(J   well   out  f  rom   the   shore  in  order  to 
Modern  Times.      r 

try  to  cut  oft  the  "  Cristobal  Colon  "  at  a  point  jutting  out 
into  the  sea  far  ahead.  The  "  Oregon  "  kept  the  middle  course  about  a  mile 
from  the  cruiser.  The  desperate  Spaniard  ran  close  along  the  shore,  and 
now  and  then  threw  a  shell  of  defiance.  The  old  "  Texas  "  kept  well  up  in 
the  chase  under  forced  draught  for  over  two  hours. 

The  swift  Spaniard  led  the  Americans  a  merry  chase,  but  she  had  no 
chance.  The  "  Brooklyn  "  gradually  forged  ahead,  so  that  the  escape  of  the 
"  Cristobal  Colon  "  was  cut  off  at  the  point  above  mentioned.  The  "  Oregon  " 
was  abeam  of  the  "  Colon  "  then,  and  the  gallant  cruiser  abandoned  all  effort 
to  escape,  and  at  1.15  o'clock  headed  for  the  shore,  and  five  minutes  later 

down  came  the  Spanish  flag.     None  of  our  ships  at  this 

time  were  within  a  mile  of  her,  but  her  escape  was  cut 
"Colon's"  Flag. 

off.  The  "  Texas,"  "  Oregon,"  and  "  Brooklyn  "  closed  in 
on  her  and  stopped  their  engines  a  few  hundred  yards  away. 

Commodore  Schley  left  the  "Brooklyn"  in  a  small  boat  and  went 
aboard  the  "  Cristobal  Colon  "  and  received  the  surrender.  Meantime  the 
"  New  York,"  with  Admiral  Sampson  on  board,  and  the  "  Vixen,"  were 
coming  up  on  the  run.  Commodore  Schley  signaled  to  Admiral  Sampson  : 
"  We  have  won  a  great  victory,  details  will  be  communicated." 

The  surrender  in  that  little  cove  under  the  high  hills  was  a  general 
Fourth    of  July    celebration,  though    a   little    premature. 

Our  ships  cheered  one  another,  the  captains  indulged  in 
Patriotic  Cheers. 

.  compliments  through  the  megaphones,  and  the  "  Oregon  " 

got  out  its  band,  and  the  strains  of  the  "  Star  Spangled  Banner  "  echoed  over 
the  lines  of  the  Spaniards  drawn  up  on  the  deck  of  the  last  of  the  Spanish 
fleet,  and  up  over  the  lofty  green-tipped  hills  of  the  Cuban  mountains. 
Commodore  Schley,  coming  alongside  the  "Texas"  from  the  "Cristobal 
Colon"  in  his  gig,  called  out  to  me,  cheerily,  "It  was  a  nice  fight,  Jack, 
wasn't  it?"  The  "Resolute"  arrived  soon  after,  and  the  work  of  trans- 
ferring the  prisoners  from  the  "  Cristobal  Colon  "  to  her  was  then  begun. 
Five  hundred  and  thirty  men  were  taken  off;  eight  were  missing. 

It  was  hoped  that  the  "  Cristobal  Colon  "  might  be  saved  as  a  Fourth 
of  July  gift  to  our  navy.  She  was  beached  bow  on,  on  a  sandy  shore,  and 
her  stern  was  afloat,  but  she  was  not  materially  damaged  by  the  shots  that 
struck  her.  One  1 3-inch  shell  and  one  8-inch  had  hit  her,  but  it  was 
found  that  the  Spaniards  had  taken  every  measure  to  destroy  her  after  they 


THE  GREATEST   NAVAL   FIGHT   OF   MODERN   TIMES        215 

themselves  were  safe.  They  had  opened  every  sea-valve  in  the  ship  and 
had  thrown  the  caps  overboard.  They  had  also  opened  all  the  ports  and 
smashed  the  deadlights,  and  had  even  thrown  the  breech  plugs  of  their 
guns  overboard. 

The  "  Colon  "  floated  off  at  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening  and  drifted 
500  yards  down  the  beach  to  the  westward,  swinging  bow  out.  The  "  New 
York  "  pushed  her  stern  on  to  the  beach,  but  the  water  was  already  up  to 
her  gun  deck.  At  eleven  o'clock  she  lurched  and  turned  over  on  her  star- 
board side,  with  her  port  guns  pointing  straight  skyward. 

The  first  ship  inspected  was  the  "  Almirante  Oquendo."  She  was  run 
ashore  in  a  small  bay,  and  well  up  on  the  beach,  where  she  is  likely  to  stay  until 
time  and  the  action  of  the  elements  complete  the  destruc- 
tion begun  by  the  American  guns.  Her  sides  were  scarred 
by  many  shots,  and  in  her  port  bow  there  was  a  tremendous 
hole  made  by  a  1 3-inch  shell.  On  her  port  quarter,  near  the  water  line, 
there  was  a  large  rent.  Her  military  masts  were  gone  and  her  decks  pre- 
sented a  scene  of  wreck  and  confusion. 

As  the  vessel  was  approached  a  ghastly  sight  was  presented.  Dead 
Spaniards  were  seen  floating  all  about  in  the  water.  They  were  stripped  to 
the  waist  as  they  had  stood  to  man  their  guns.  The  gunboat  "  Suwanee  " 
steamed  up,  and  Lieutenant  Blue  started  ashore  in  her  whaleboat  to  look 
after  the  prisoners,  and  especially  the  wounded,  who  were  taken  on  board 
and  their  injuries  carefully  dressed  by  our  surgeons. 


Twisted  Wrecks 
of  the  Fleet. 


216  A    PRAYER. 

A  PRAYER. 

BY  S.  WEIR  MITCHELL. 

And  in  thy  majesty  ride  prosperously,  because  of  truth   and  meekness  and  righteousness; 
and  thy  right  hand  shall  teach  thee  terrible  things. — Psalm  xiv. 

A~, MIGHTY  God  !  eternal  source 
Of  every  arm  we  dare  to  wield, 
Be  Thine  the  thanks,  as  Thine  the  force, 

On  reeling  deck  or  stricken  field  ; 
The  thunder  of  the  battle  hour 
Is  but  the  whisper  of  Thy  power. 

By  Thee  was  given   the   thought  that   bowed 

All  hearts  upon  the  victor  deck 
When  high  above  the  battle's  shroud 

The  white  flag  fluttered  o'er  the  wreck, 
And  Thine    the    hand    that    checked    the  cheer 
In  that  wild  hour  of  death  and  fear. 

O  Lord  of  Love !    be  Thine  the  grace 

To  teach,  atnid  the  wrath  of  war, 
Sweet  pity  for  a  humble  race, 

Some  thought  of  those  in  lands  afar, 
Where  sad-eyed  women  vainly  yearn 
For  those  who  never  shall  return. 

Great  Master  of  earth's  mighty  school 

Whose  children  are  of  every  land, 
Inform  with  love  our  alien  rule, 

And  stay  us  with  Thy  warning  hand 
If,  tempted  by  imperial  greed, 
We  in  Thy  watchful  eyes  exceed, — 

That,  in  the  days  to  come,  O  Lord ! 

When  we  ourselves  have  passed  away, 
And  all  are  gone  who  drew  the  sword, 

The  children  of  our  breed  may  say, 
These  were  our  sires  who,  doubly  great 
Could  strike,  yet  spare  the  fallen  State. 


FIRST  AMERICAN   NEWSPAPER   IN   SANTIAGO.  217 


FIRST  AMERICAN  NEWSPAPER  IN  SANTIAGO. 

A)  the  newsgatherer  preceded  our  army  in  Cuba,  so  the  newspublisher 
was  first    to   inaugurate   American   enterprise   on    the  reclaimed 
island.     Santiago  is  a  large  city,  with  'many  capabilities,  which 
correspondents  were  quick  to  discern;    therefore,  almost  immedi- 
ately after  its  surrender,  and  before  the  plunder  incident  to  military  occupa- 
tion was  brought  into  orderly  arrangement  of  assumed  ownership,  a  paper 
was  founded   in  the  city.   .  Out  of  a  chivalrous    deference  to  the  suddenly 
mixed    population   of   Santiago,   the  paper,   very  properly  christened    The 
Times,  was  printed  half-and-half,  but  the  spirit  of  every   column  was  dis- 
tinctly American   of  the  far  western  type,  as  the  following  salutatory  and 
extracts  will  show : 

"A  newspaper  should  have  a  mission.  Its  mission  should  be  to  educate 
and  enlighten.  When  it  fails  to  do  this,  it  is  a  failure.  In  the  heart  of 
Africa  there  are  no  newspapers.  We  have  not  heard  whether  there  are 
newspapers  in  Hayti  or  not.  We  started  the  Times  of  Cuba  so  that  we 
might  have  an  American  paper,  as  well  as  the  American  flag,  in  our  new  pos- 
session. They  were  Spanish  papers,  some  of  them  run  by  Cubans.  Of  these 
latter  we  have  had  the  pleasure  of  reading  various  old  copies.  They  tell  us 
of  the  loyalty  of  the  Cubans  to  Spain,  and  how  they  proposed  to  keep  the 
Yankee  out,  fighting  side  by  side  under  the  red  and  yellow  flag.  The  editors 
are  still  here,  and  now  they  are  singing  verses  and  telling  us  how  they 
helped  whip  the  Spaniard.  And  they  are  full  of  complaints  because  we  do 
not  fire  him  out. 

"After  seeing  the  pied  form  of  a  newspaper  run  up  to  the  very  day  of 
our  first  bombardment,  we  had  some  misgivings  about  starting  the  Times. 
Some  of  the  old  editors  offered  to  furnish  us  with  their 

'wardrobes.'     In  our  ignorance,    we  did  not  .know  what    Si°8ular  s'g"lfi- 

•i  1  cancc  of  a 

connection  a    wardrobe   could  have  with  a  daily  paper,  but    common  Word 

later  we  learned  that  it  was  the  term  applied  to  the  stand- 
ing newspaper  items  which  had  been  kept  in  Spanish  printing  offices  for  the 
last  century.  They  included  death  notices,  marriage  announcements,  and 
even  local  items  bf  news.  When  a  man  died,  or  was  assassinated,  or  put  in 
jail,  the  editor  went  to  his  '  wardrobe,'  selected  the  appropriate  item, 
changed  the  victim's  name  and  then  the  matter  was  all  ready  for  the  press, 
without  fear  of  being  censored.  Then  this  matter  of  being  censored  also 
frightened  us, 


218  FIRST   AMERICAN   NEWSPAPER   IN  SANTIAGO. 

i 

"We  have  been  in  jail  so  many  times  that  imprisonment  has  lost  all  KS 
novelty  for  us.  But  we  were  informed  that  if  we  wanted  to  publish  any 
real  hot  stuff  we  might  hire  a  couple  of  old  beggars  to  sit  in  our  office,  and 
when  the  police  came  around  to  arrest  the  writer  of  the  obnoxious  article  all 
we  had  to  do  was  to  point  out  one  of  the  beggars.  We  would  still  have  one 
beggar  left  for  another  article  and  if  we  wanted  to  write  more  articles  we 
could  get  more  beggars.  They  were  cheap.  Then  we  were  told  that  we 
might  expect  to  have  a  duel  or  two  on  our  hands.  This 

idea  rather  pleased  us.     We  never  had  been  challenged  but 
Was  Threatened. 

once,  and  that  was  way  back  in  the  palmy  days  of  our 
youth  in  Spain.  After  having  accepted  the  challenge,  our  opponent  said  he 
had  only  challenged  us  to  test  our  nerve,  as  he  was  looking  for  a  companion 
to  help  fight  another  fellow. 

"  After  being  confronted  with  so  many  circumstances  attending  Cuban 
journalism,  we  finally  went  ahead  and  got  out  our  first  paper.  For  three 
days  we  struggled  with  a  reporter  and  an  advertising  manager,  who  smoked 
cigarettes  in  the  morning  and  slept  siestas  in  the  afternoon.  The  one  proved 
absolutely  helpless  to  bring  out  a  paper  which  had  not  provided  itself  with 
a  '  wardrobe,'  and  the  other  was  so  slow  in  making  out  receipts  and  collect- 
ing bills  that  many  of  our  customers  died  before  we  could  get  their  promised 
subscriptions.  We  were  almost  in  despair,  but  we  finally^  found  a  man  who 
wanted  to  work,  and  since  then  we  have  become  daily  'more  interested  in 
the  Times  and  its  mission  as  a  newspaper.  True,  it  has  not  been  much  of  a 
paper,  but  we  have  had  the  satisfaction  of  saying  about  what  we  pleased,  and 
we  have  not  yet.  been  arrested  or  shot  at  or  otherwise  maltreated,  but  on  the 
contrary  have  received  many  expressions  of  attention  and  kindness,  notwith- 
standing the  fact  that  two  or  three  narrow-minded  people  have  ordered  us  to 
take  their  names  off  our  subscription  lists.  Of  course,  there  is  no  hope  for 
these  people,  for  when  the  Times  has  flourished  and  grown,  and  becomes  a 
power  in  the  island  of  Cuba,  these  simple,  narrow-minded  ones  will  still  be 
antiquated,  rubbing  their  eyes  and  longing  for  the  good  old  days  when  King 
Alfonso  was  a  child  and  everyone  could  do  as  he  pleased,  except  run  an  in- 
dependent, modern  newspaper." 

All  newspapers  occasionally  have  cause  to  apologize  for  errors  which 
have  crept  into  print,  but  very  likely  the  following  is  unique  : 

"  It  seems  to  be  the  object  in  life  of  some  people  to  do  as  little  work  and 
get  as  much  money  as  possible.  This  was  the  case  yesterday  when  our 
printers  run  in  upon  us  the  article  '  Are  We  Fools?  '  which  had  appeared  in 
our  issue  of  .the  day  previous.  Our  printers  are  all  natives,  which  not  only 
accounts  for  the  many  typographical  errors,  especially  in  our  English  section, 


FIRST   AMERICAN   NEWSPAPER   IN  SANTIAGO. 


219 


but  for  the  fact  that  we  have  to  be  constantly  watching  them.  Some  day  a 
Yankee  compositor  will  turn  up  in  Santiago,  and  then  we  may  hope  to  turn 
out  a  better  paper." 

The  riotous  conduct  of   some  of   the  "  immunes  "   called   for   a   long 
article  on  August  18.     In  the  course  of  the  editorial  the  Times  said: 

"  Now  we  are  face  to  face  with  the  fact  that  there  is 
more  disorder  in   the  city  of   Santiago  than  ever  before. 
Men  wearing  the  uniforms  of  United  States  soldiers  enter    Gathering  News. 
cafes,  order  drinks,  refuse  to  pay,  smash  bottles,  assault 
Spanish  soldiers  and   even  force   their  way  into  private  houses,    insulting 
women,  breaking  furniture  and  committing  all   kinds    of  outrages.     In  our 
Spanish  edition  of  yesterday  we  gave  an  account  of  one  of  these  men  enter- 
ing a  private  house  the  night  before,  and  flourishing  a  machete  at  the  tenant, 
who    was   ill    in   bed,    received   a  wound  which  may  result  in  his  death. 
There  is  not  an    officer  who  can  deny  that  the  sick   man  was  justified  in 
shooting  the  soldier,  but  has  the  time  come,  we  ask,  when   every  peaceable 
citizen  of  Cuba  must  arm  himself  and  be  prepared  to  resist  the  disorderly 
conduct  of  these    men   who    have  come    here   in  the    guise    of    soldiers  ? 
Yesterday,    among   other  disgraceful  occurrences,  a  negro  went  about  town 
armed  with  a  rifle,  and  bayonet  fixed,  followed  by  a  drunken   companion. 
They  entered  various  shops  and  saloons  on  the  pretense  of  carrying  out  some 
military  order,  and  on  being  confronted  by  a  Times  reporter,  the  negro  with 
the  gun  said  he  had  orders  to  notify  all  storekeepers  that  they  must  not  buy 
any  more  crackers,"  etc. 


220  TRUE   COURAGE. 


TRUE  COURAGE. 


Brave  Soldiers  Who  Have  Confessed  to  a  Dread  of  Warfare. 

AiK  any  man  who  ever  followed  General  Sheridan  in  one  of  his  dashing 
charges,  and  he  will  declare  with  all  the  emphasis  at  his  command 
that  no  braver  man  than  "  Little  Phil  "  ever  wore  a  sword  or  went 
into  battle.     One  enthusiastic  admirer  speaks  of  him  as  the  typical 
American  fighter  of  the  generation,  and  all  laud  the  daring  which  won  him 
such  rapid  promotion  and  such  signal  victories. 

Long  following  the  war  Sheridan  sat  beside  the  late  Charles  A.  Dana  at 
an  evening  dinner  party.  "  General,"  said  Mr.  Dana  with  his  wonted  direct- 
ness, "  between  ourselves,  were  you  ever  afraid  in  battle  ?" 

"  My  dear  fellow,"  came  the  immediate  reply,  "  I  have  never  seen  the 
beginning  of  a  battle  without  fear,  and  had  I  followed  my  first  impulse  I 
would  have  run  away  every  time.  The  men  who  say  they  have  never  known 
fear  are  liars  and  humbugs  !" 

General  Grant,  of  whom  a  grizzled  old  veteran  said  that  he  hadn't  a 
nerve  in  his  body  or  a  cowardly  drop  of  blood,  used  almost  precisely  the  same 
language  as  did  Sheridan,  and  always  distrusted  a  man  who  loved  to  vaunt 
his  own  fearlessness.  Hancock,  with  his  magnificent  figure,  his  martial  mien, 
and  his  gallant  conduct,  was  the  idol  of  his  men,  who  called  him  "  the 
superb,"  yet  he  said  in  his  own  impressive  way  that  there  were  times  imme- 
diately preceding  a  general  engagement  that  it  was  with  the  most  determined 
exercise  of  will  power  that  he  overcame  his  sense  of  apprehension. 

"  Stonewall  "  Jackson,  whose  title  every  soldier  that  ever  fought  with 

him  or  against  him  knows  to  be  a  well-earned  one,  said  that  he  depended 

upon  moral  rather  than  physical  courage,  and  that  on  the 

Fear,  at  Times,       dayS  that  he  fought  with  the  most  intrepidity  it  was  not 
Possesses  the  Most  .  .   .       ,  '. 

Courageous.         tne  excess  °*  "1S  own  spirit  that  moved  him  so  much  as 

the  desire  to  inspire  his  men  by  an  example  of  courage. 
Sherman  had  the  heartiest  contempt  for  soldiers  who  declared  that  they 
feared  "  nothing  or  nobody,"  and  it  was  the  opinion  of  this  same  general 
who  made  the  famous  march  to  the  sea,  that  they  were  responsible  for  much 
of  the  incompetency,  confusion,  and  disgrace  in  1861. 

Farragnt  was  our  greatest  naval  hero  of  the  war,  and  his  exploit  while 
lashed  to  the  rigging  of  the  "  Hartford  "  in  Mobile  Bay  lias  given  him  a 


THK   STORY   O£   A    RED   CROSS   NURSE.  2*1 

.• 

place  among  the  immortals  of  history,  yet  he  was  a  soldier  upon  principle. 
He  never  did  anything  for  dramatic  effect.  He  was  mild-mannered  and 
good- tempered,  and  did  his  bravest  deeds  from  a  sense  of  duty  rather  than 
animal  courage.  When  he  came  down  from  his  perilous  place  aloft  on  the 
"  Hartford,"  where  he  had  won  the  fame  that  will  live  forever,  he  wept  as  a 
woman  would  over  the  poor  fellows  who  had  been  killed  and  were  laid  out 
on  the  deck. 

Jefferson,  who  was  physically  timid,  thought  that  Washington  was  born 
without  a  sense  of  fear,  but  those  who  are  closer  readers  of  character  attribute 
the  bravery  of  the  great  leader  to  that  more  exalted  courage  which  can  over- 
come fear.  It  is  conceded  on  all  sides  that  "  Mad  Anthony  "  Wayne  was 
something  of  a  dare-devil,  yet  he  was  much  the  same  stamp  of  man  as 
Sheridan,  and  Sheridan  knew  what  fear  was.  The  latter,  with  Sherman  in 
council,  once  estimated  that  one  soldier  out  of  four,  in  the  volunteer  service, 
would  prove  a  coward  and  fail  to  meet  the  demand  made  upon  him  when 
the  greatest  nerve  and  persistency  were  required.  They  hunted  cover  when 
things  became  hot.  They  would  fall  to  the  ground,  pretending  to  be  sick, 
wounded  or  exhausted. 

One  thing  clearly  established  in  the  late  war  was  that  the  best  soldiers 
did  not  come  from  the  tough  city  quarters,  where  brute  courage *is  supposed 
to  be  at  its  best,  but  from  the  ranks  of  business,  professional  and  industrial 
life,  merchants,  clerks,  lawyers,  artisans,  farmers'  sons,  college  students,  and 
society  men. 


THE  STORY  OF  A  RED  CROSS  NURSE. 

BY  J.  HELEN  BULL. 

UPON  my  arrival    at    Santiago,  July  22,  the  thing   that   impressed 
me  most  was  the  crowd   collected  in  front  of  each  of  the  many 
warehouses  stationed    along   the   street  which    faces  the  harbor, 
other  groups  hurrying  eagerly  toward  the  same  goal — the  name  of 
Miss  Clara  Barton  on  every  lip.     I  found  these  warehouses  were  the  places 
for    distribution    of    supplies,  given    out    under    the  direction    of     Miss, 
Barton  for  the  National  Red  Cross  Relief  Society,  and  the  confusion  conse- 
quent upon  the  arrival  of  troops  and  transports  as  may  be  imagined  was 
very  great.     Almost  immediately  upon  my  arrival,  I  listened  to  the  awful 
story  of  banishment  from  the  city  of  all  non-combatants  which  was  prelimi- 
nary, as  a  humane  measure,  to  the  bombardment  that  our  forces  had  prepared 
to  begin. 


w  THE  STORY   OF   A   RED   CROSS   NURSE. 

When  the  order  came  from  General  Shafter  that  this  must  be  accom- 
plished in  a  few  hours,  the  English  Consul  informed  me  that  he  and  other 
foreign  consuls  went  to  the  camp  of  General  Miles  and  begged  for  ..more 
time,  which  was  granted.  There  were  no  means  of  transport  by  which  the 
weak  and  old  could  be  conveyed  with  any  degree  of  decency,  and  the 
horrors  of  this  terrible  march  can  never  be  told  in  language  adequate  for  the 
situation.  Delicate  women,  tender  children  and  grandmothers,  bred  in  the 
ease  and  luxury  peculiar  to  this  luxury-loving  nation,  were  herded  together 
like  cattle  and  passed  out  of  their  homes  without  being  able  to  make  any 
suitable  preparation.  Down  the  dusty  road  swept  the  sad  cavalcade,  looking 
the  agonized  farewells  they  could  not  speak,  and  plodded  wearily  on  to 
Caney.  Arriving  there,  a  few  palm  huts  were  their  only  shelter. 

There  were  so  many  to  be  provided  for,  that  at  night  they  could  only 

be  laid  on  the  ground  with  their  feet  to  the  centre  like  the  spokes  of  a 

wheel,  and  thus  crowded  closely  together,  mothers  could 

not  turn  even  to  minister  to  their  crying  children.     Here 

Good  Work.  _      J 

came  in  the  glorious  work  of  Miss  Barton  and  her  staff. 
Of  their  able  and  efficient  services  in  imparting  speedy  relief  to  these  suffer- 
ers at  Caney  enough  cannot  be  said.  Here,  too,  came  in  the  unselfish  sacri- 
fices of  our  noble  soldiers,  who  gave  to  these  poor  exiles  of  their  own  half 
rations  and  scanty  clothing  after  being  in  the  trenches  for  days  without  food 
or  water.  This  makes  a  record  of  individual  generosity  unparalleled  in  any 
war.  This  was  repeated  to  me  again  and  again  by  Spanish  soldiers,  and 
many  other  stories  of  the  kindness  and  magnanimity  of  our  men  made  rny 
cheek  flush  with  pride  and  patriotic  fervor  as  I  listened. 

Many  isolated  cases  of  self-sacrifice  kept  coming  to  the  surface,  and 
many  more  will  never  be  known  till  the  Recording  Angel  makes  them 
known  at  the  last  great  summing  up  of  heroic  deeds.  Among  the  former  is 
one  which  I  wish  to  put  on  record  here.  Mr.  Bangs,  one  of  Miss  Barton's 
staff,  was  as  truly  a  soldier  as  though  he  had  met  his  death  on  the  field 
of  battle.  When  I  met  him  he  had  passed  through  the  horrors  of  Siboney 
and  Caney,  and  the  stamp  of  death  was  on  his  face. 

General  Toral  has  been  said  to  have  ordered  the  looting  of  Santiago 
before  its  evacuation,  but  this,  I  wish  in  justice  to  state,  is  a  gross  misrepre- 
sentation. The  rabble  who  did  the  looting  was  the  class  usually  following 
in  the  wake  of  any  army,  made  up  of  almost  every  nationality  under  the  sun. 
They  do  their  work  under  no  orders,  but  are  a  law  unto  themselves,  like  the 
carrion  birds  that  hover  over  the  battlefield. 

Among  our  troops  there  was  a  natural  desire  for  trophies  and  memen- 
toes of  the  war  in  which  they  had  shared.  I  saw  our  young  soldiers  buying 


THE  STORY   OF  A   RED   CROSS   NURSE.  223 

up  jeweled  rosaries,  and  known  of  officers  buying  decorations  taken  from 
the  dead,  all  of  which  was  perfectly  legitimate. 

I  found  the  military  hospitals  in  Santiago  very  poorly  equipped.  There 
were  no  cots  and  a  very  meagre  supply  of  canned  fruits,  so  necessary  for  conva- 
lescents and  very  few  medicines  could  be  found.  Miss 

Barton  made  up  for  the  deficiency  as  well  as  she  could.  Hospitals  Poorly 

Equipped. 
One  hospital  was  established  in  a  theatre,  another  in 

a  large  building  next  door.  The  patients  here  were  on  the  floor,  with 
blankets  over  them.  Another,  in  which  I  acted  as  nurse,  was  in  the  Nautical 
Club,  which  is  built  out  into  the  bay,  and  therefore  comparatively  cool  and 
comfortable.  The  first  day  I  was  in  this  hospital  we  bathed  every  patient 
and  changed  the  clothing,  Miss  Barton  supplying  all  needed  changes.  She 
supplied  the  deficiency  here  as  elsewhere,  being  called  upon  generally  for 
medical  supplies.  This  is  no  reflection  on  our  Government,  as,  up  to  the 
time  of  capitulation,  everything  had  to  be  landed  at  Siboney  by  lighters, 
and,  as  I  understand,  that  eleven  had  been  lost  at  sea,  and  the  sea  ran  so 
that  it  was  almost  impossible  to  supply  maintenance  for  our  army.  Where 
the  supplies  could  be  landed  at  Santiago  the  needs  of  the  army  were  so 
great,  it  would  have  required  a  miracle  almost  equal  to  the  ancient  one  of 
the  loaves  and  fishes  to  have  supplied  all. 

The  natives  have  a  lot  of  domestic  remedies,  and  the  secrets  of  their 
most  peculiar  pharmacopoeia  are  thus  far  unknown  to  us.  They  have  a 
large  green  bean  that  has  four  black  seeds.  This  plant  is  first  cousin  to  that 
one  yielding  croton  oil.  The  native  considers  half  a  bean  a  dose,  but  in 
certain  cases  they  take  a  whole  bean,  with  tremendous  results.  I  cannot 
describe  these  further  than  to  say  that  unless  the  medicine  all  but  ties  them 
up  in  a  double  knot  they  are  not  satisfied  and  consider  they  are  not  well 
treated.  Hence,  our  physicians  find  it  difficult  to  treat  them  outside  of  their 
own  remedies. 

Prior  to  the  surrender,  the  streets  were  unfit  to  walk  in,  and  when  the 
surrounding  country  had  emptied  itself  of  its  sickly,  emaciated  inhabitants, 
and  they  were  concentrated  in  the  city  proper,  in  order  that  they  might  be 
fed — in  addition  to  the  remaining  Spanish  army  and  General  Shafter's 
troops — the  chances  for  disease  were  greatly  multiplied. 

The  streets  and  passageways,  reeking  with  filthy  odors,  and  uncleanliness 
on  every  hand,  furnish  ample  material  for  fevers  and  diseases  growing  out 
of  such  conditions.  Some  sanitary  measures  should  at  once  be  established 
to  obviate  the  pestilential  conditions. 


224  HOSPITAL   CONDITIONS    AT   PONCE. 


HOSPITAL  CONDITIONS  AT  PONCE. 

WHEN  the  fever  came  to  Ponce  and  the  surrounding  territory,  the 
hospital  service  proved  entirely  inadequate  to  cope  with  the 
ever  increasing  number  of  cases.  The  administration  seemed 
unable  to  keep  up  with  the  demand,  and  the  conditions  for  some 
days  were  of  the  most  miserable  description.  What  hospitals  there  were 
quickly,,  became  overcrowded,  and  then  men,  burning  with  fever,  were 
allowed  to  lie  out  in  the  grass,- having  only  one  woolen  blanket  for  a  cover- 
ing. The  damp  grass,  saturated  with  the  heavy  rains  of  the  tropical  wet 
season,  was  the  most  impossible  place  for  the  sick.  The  death-rate  slowly 
rose,  but  the  heads  of  the  medical  department  kept  claiming  that  everything 
was  all  right  and  that  the  sickness  did  not  amount  to  very  much.  Medical 
supplies  were  either  very  scarce  or  the  conduct  of  the  hospitals  very  poor, 
because  I  know  of  cases  where  no  medicine  or  food  was  given  for  over 
twenty-four  hours  at  a  stretch.  The  natural  robustness  of  the  American 
soldier,  however,  helped  the  majority  to  survive  in  spite  of  the  lack  of  care. 
And  yet  the  survival  was  but  a  sorry  one.  Shattered  by  the  ravages  of 
the  fever,  weak  in  body  and  mind  from  the  lack  of  nourishment  and  proper 
attention,  lying  in  a  climate  that  proved  to  have  absolutely  no  recuperative 
properties  for  unacclimated  people,  these  men  dropped  day  after  day.  Those 
who  in  the  beginning  had  been  great,  splendid  specimens  of  the  best  of  our 
American  youth,  who  had  been  good  to  look  upon  in  the  fulness  of  their 
health  and  robustness,  were  now  but  pitiable  wrecks,  scarcely  able  to  raise 
trembling  hands  to  their  wan  faces.  The  one  cry,  weak  and  wailing  as  it 
came  to  me  day  after  day,  was  to  send  them  home.  Finally  came  the  good 
news  that  a  ship  was  to  carry  convalescents  back  to  the  States.  At  once 
came  a  wonderful  brightening  of  faces,  a  stiffening  up  of  limp  forms,  as  the 
poor  devils  crawled  about  the  hospital  cantonments. 

The  great  day  arrived  when  the  convalescents  were  to  be  taken  away, 

and  then  came  the  announcement  that  only  those  who  could  walk  and  who 

were  well  on  the  road  to  recovery  could  go  aboard  ship. 

The  poor  fellows  whom  the  fever  had  left  so  weak  that 

Hope  Expires. 

they  could  not  raise  their  emaciated  frames  from  the  cots, 
where  they  were  so  fortunate  as  to  occupy  such  an  article,  rolled  over  and 
buried  their  faces  in  their  arms,  heart-broken.  Hope  had  fled  and  fever  came 
back.  The  others  who  were  able  to  walk,  and  who  were  selected  to  be  sent 
home,  tried  to  tread  with  old-time  buoyant  step,  but  which  ended  in  a  weak 


YELLOW   FEVER   AMONG  THE  AMERICAN  SOLDIERS.       225 

shamble.     Down  to  the  beach  they  were  carted  in  ambulances,  army  wagons 
and  any  kind  of  conveyances  that  could  be  gathered. 

Large  lighters  rose  and  fell  in  the  gentle  surf,  willing  hands  helped  the 
poor  fellows  scramble  aboard,  and  puffy  little  steam  launches  towed  them 
out  to  the  transports.  And  then  came  another  setback.  Many  of  the 
invalids  had  exhausted  their  poor  little  strength  in  the  flitting  from  hospital 
to  shore,  and  when  alongside  the  big  ship,  which  breathed  of  fresh  ocean 
breezes  and  of  home,  they  were  lying  upon  the  bottom  of  the  boats  unable 
to  rise.  A  lynx-eyed  surgeon  scanned  every  one,  and  then  gave  forth  the 
order  that  those  unable  to  walk  on  board  must  go  back,  as  the  transports 
were  only  for  convalescents,  who  could  care  for  themselves,  there  being  no 
hospital  facilities  on  board  for  sick  men.  No  more  pitiful  sight  could  be 
imagined  when  those  poor  devils  were  turned  away  from  what,  to  them, 
meant  life.  Dejection  of  the  deepest  type  followed.  The  puffy  little  launches 
towed  them  back  to  the  shore,  and  the  three  volleys  in  the  graveyards 
became  more  frequent. 


YELLOW  FEVER  AMONG  THE  AMERICAN  SOLDIERS 

IN  CUBA. 

BY  REV.  DR.  HENRY  C.  McCooK. 

IS  IT  grip?" 
"  No,  senor,"  said  the  Cuban   doctor,   shrugging    his   shoulders. 
Then  he  smiled  and  looked  thoughtful,  and  shook  his  head.     "  Eet  iss 
calenturua.     Eet  iss  malarial  fever.     Bet  iss — " 

"  It's  the  devil's  own  disease  !"  broke  in  the  major,  with  an  emphasis  that 
showed  how  personal  and  profound  was  the  experience  from  which  he  spoke. 
By  whatever  name  doctors  call  it,  when  folk  have  it  they  are  apt  to  adopt 
the  major's  diagnosis  with  various  descriptive  addenda,  which  it  would  be 
impolite  to  put  into  print.  As  to  details,  take  this  invoice : 

Item — A  headache,  getting  harder  and  heavier,  until  the  head  longs  for  a 
pillow  on  the  block  of  "  the  maiden  "  in  the  grass  market  of  Edinburgh,  or 
in  the  basket  of  a  Parisian  guillotine.  Do  you  know  what  a  "  sluting " 
headache  is  ?  That's  it ! 

Item — A  fever,  growing  hot,  hotter,  hottest !  Does  the  water  on  your 
brow  relieve  it  ?  Yes,  until  it  begins  to  boil ! 

Item — Sore  bones,  sorer  bones,  break  bones  !     Yon  Tennessee  hospital 
steward  says  he   "reckons  it   is    a  kyind    of  break-bone  fever,  anyhow," 
15 


,26       YELLOW    KEYER    AMONG   THE   AMERICAN   SOLDIERS. 

And  he  is  not  now  vending  a  fairy  story,  like  the  one  he  signed  when  he 
declared  himself  a  yellow  fever  immune  in  order  to  be  sent  to  Santiago. 

"  Well,  ye-es,"  he  confessed,  "  I  did  prevairycate,  I  allow.  But  anything 
was  kyind  of  axcusable  to  git  out  of  Camp  Alger !" 

Item — Nausea.  And  more  nausea.  And — O — oh  !  "  Seems  kyndeh  like 
old  times  on  the  '  Resolute '  off  Cape  Hatteras,"  remarks  the  hospital 
steward.  But  he  speaks  from  his  own  experience,  for  the  present  nauseated 
victim  is  not  subject  to  sea  sickness. 

Item — Chills ;  growing  chillier ;  ch-ch-chatter ;  chat-chat-ter-rr-rr-oh!  Did 
the  head  burst  ?  No !  If  it  only  would,  and  be  done  with  it !  "  Pull  up 
the  blanket,  steward,  I'm  freezing.  No!  throw  it  off.  I'm  burning  up.  My 
back  !  my  bones  !  my  head  !" 

Item — Weak,  weaker,  weakest  of  all  weak  things  in  this  wide  world. 
How  can  a  strong  man  wilt  into  this  utter  worthlessness  within  three  days  ? 
Calentura,  hey?  No  wonder  Shafter's  victorious  army  withered  before  it, 
and  had  to  be  returned  home  to  recuperate.  Did  you  ever  doubt  the  story 
of  the  Assyrian  army  that  came  down  upon  ancient  Sennacherib  "  like  a 
wolf  on  the  fold,  and  his  cohorts  were  gleaming  with  purple  and  gold,"  but 
was  blighted  in  one  night?  If  the  angels  of  the  Lord  then  and  there 
breathed  forth  calentura,  the  deed  would  have  been  done.  I  shall  persist  in 
calling  it  grip,  a  horrible  Cuban  species.  At  all  events,  it  is  mean  enough 
a  monster  of  morbidity  to  bear  that  generic  name.  From  calentura,  grip 
and  yellow  fever,  "  Good  Lord  deliver  us  !" 

Next  to  the  Cathedral,  the  most  prominent  building  in   Santiago  is  the 

hospital.     It  occupies  the  crest  of  the  hill  on  which  the  city  stands,    and 

from  the  harbor  its  red  cross  flag  seems  to  wave  in  the 

f  s  ff  °"SC  midst  of  a  tropical  garden.  I^et  us  climb  the  height  from 
the  little  square  (placeta)  and  Church  of  Dolores.  Take 
this  winding  path  and  bear  away  through  masses  of  shrubbery,  festooned 
with  spider  webs,  to  this  long  steep  stairway,  the  southern  approach.  Stand 
now  at  the  landing  and  view  the  scene.  You  will  have  little  heart  for 
it  when  you  come  out.  Over  the  mass  of  wrinkled  roof-tops  of  red  tiles, 
that  seem  almost  to  touch  one  another,  so  narrow  are  the  streets,  you  see 
the  bay,  or  that  part  which  forms  the  harbor.  The  remainder  is  hidden  by 
the  fold  in  the  mountains.  Ships  lie  at  anchor,  among  them  the  "  Mexico," 
with  General  Shafter  on  board  en  route  for  home  in  the  wake  of  his  trium- 
phant army.  Only  the  sick  and  convalescent  remnants  of  the  army  of 
Santiago  now  remain,  they  and  the  Silent  Battalion  of  the  Fallen. 

The  little  tug  "  Esmeralda  "  snorts  at  the  dock  waiting  to  take  off  Co^ 
onel  McClernand,  Major  Groesback,  the  able  judge  advocate  and  others  of  tb*: 


YELLOW   FEVER  AMONG  THE   AMERICAN  SOLDIERS.       2^7 

staff  who  go  home  with  their  chief.  Further  out  lies  the  Spanish  ship  that 
is" to  transport  the  next  load  of  the  capitulated  Spanish  army.  Poor  fellows  ! 
Thirteen  of  them  died  to-day  on  their  way  to  the  vessel — died  with  their 
faces  toward  home. 

I  have  left  my  readers  standing  in  the  corridor  of  the  Civil  Hospital. 
Pardon  for  the  disrespect.  But  no  harm  is  done.  You  have  but  to  look 
around,  for  the  corridor  is  full  of  cots,  the  overflow  of  the 

wards.     I   will   not  take  you  further.     Those  wards  are 

Fever  Hospital. 

crowded  ;  every  bed  taken  and  fifty  men  are  lying  there 
and  dying  there  on  the  bare  floor.  To-day  we  got  mattresses  and  pillows. 
To-morrow  we  shall  have  cots.  Shall  we  ?  We  have  hoped  so  every  day 
for  a  week.  Manana — to-morrow !  How  soon  the  all-consuming  torridity 
of  this  tropical  sun  burns  out  even  American  energy  and  promptitude.  It 
is  the  vice  of  all  natives  ;  it  is  the  sorrow  of  the  suffering ;  it  is  doom  to  the 
sick — manana  ! 

Let  me  close  this  story  of  this  new  civic  ward  of  the  American  nation 
with  an  incident  that  greatly  affected  me.  On  my  first  visit,  while  going  into 
the  place  with  the  Sisters  of  Charity  who  had  come  from  America  to  nurse 
the  sick,  we  had  just  passed  out  of  one  of  the  male  wards  when  we  heard 
some  one  calling  behind  us  :  "  Americano,  Americano !  "  One  of  the  Cuban 
nurses  stood  at  the  ward  door  waving  his  hands  frantically,  pointing  back- 
ward and  shouting  Spanish.  "There  is  an  American  man  sick  in  here," 
explained  Mr.  Astwood,  our  interpreter.  We  turned  back. 

A  handsome  mulatto  lad  lay  upon  a  cot  with  both  arms    A  Fc*cr  Patient>s 

Delirium. 

outstretched  toward  us,  his  face  radiant  for  the  moment 

amidst  his  pains  at  the  welcome  greeting  of  our  English  tongue.  He  clasped 
my  hands  convulsively. 

"What  is  the  matter?" 

Nothing  but  "  yaller  janders." 

He  would  be  all  right  if  his  head  did  not  hurt  so.  His  name  was 
Charles  Franklin,  of  Logan,  Colorado,  and  he  was  "the  boy "  of  some 
officer  in  the  Seventh  United  States  Regulars.  His  mind  began  to  wander. 
The  pain  became  so  severe  that  he  rolled  upon  his  cot,  then  sat  up  upon  it. 

"  Let  us  pray  !  "  I  kneeled  at  his  bedside,  and,  holding  his  hand,  com- 
mended him,  body  and  soul,  to  God.  The  soothing  influence  of  the  devotions 
stilled  the  distracted  nerves.  «He  was  quiet  while  I  prayed.  It  was  a  strik- 
ing scene.  The  good  Sisters  joined  in  the  prayer,  reverently  bowing,  the 
tall  form  of  Mr.  Astwood  bending  in  their  midst.  The  hospital  nurses 
looked  on  with  subdued  mien.  The  sick  from  their  surrounding  cots  turned 
to  gaze  at  us,  their  wan,  pallid  faces  lit  up  by  a  moment's  curiosity. 


ftjg     BRAVEST   DEEDS   PERFORMED    BY    AMERICAN   SAILORS. 

I  left  the  lad  with  the  apostolic  benediction  on  his  brow  and  turned 
away. 

"  It  is  our  only  case  of  yellow  fever,"  said  the  Spanish  Sister  Superior. 
"  He  will  surely  die  ;  he  is  in  the  last  stage." 

"  Did  you  say  yellow  fever,"  I  asked. 

"  Yes,"  just  a  little  startled,  perhaps,  said  our  American  Sister  Mary,  "I 
could  tell  it  by  the  eyes." 

"  And  by  the  odor  !  "  added  Sister  Apollonia. 

"  And  my  good  doctor,"  said  Sister  Regis,  running  up  to  me,  "  you  have 
been  exposed  to  the  infection  !  You  held  his  hands.  You  took  his  breath. 
But  do  not  fear.  It  was  an  act  of  charity  and  our  Heavenly  Father  will 
surely  care  for  you." 

Nevertheless,  the  kind  lady  whipped  out  of  some  mysterious  receptacle 
about  her  dress,  a  bottle  of  some  disinfectant  stuff  and  bidding  me  hold  out 
my  hands  filled  the  palms  and  made  me  lave  the  skin.  Like  Oliver  Cromwell 
she  "  trusted  in  God,  but  kept  her  remedies  ready."  Good  theology  and 
good  practice. 

Poor  lad  !  He  was  isolated  at  once  and  three  doctors  "  sat  "  upon  him 
when  he  died.  Two  said  yellow  fever,  one  said  malignant  malarial.  All 
the  same,  his  campaign  in  Cuba  is  ended,  and,  let  us  hope,  his  spirit  rests  in 
peace. 


THE  BRAVEST  DEEDS  PERFORMED  BY  AMERICAN 

SAILORS. 

BY  J.  W.  BUEL. 

THE  intrepid  daring  of  Assistant  Naval  Constructor  Hobson,  in  blow- 
ing up  the  "  Merrimac  "  at  the  mouth  of  Santiago  harbor,  June  3, 
1898,    has   given    him    imperishable    fame,    as   he    deserves,    but 
remarkable  and  astoundingly  courageous  as  was  that  feat,  it  does 
not  stand  alone  as  the  greatest  example  of  American  bravery,  but  is  rather 
one  of  many  equally  heroic  exploits  performed  by  our  gallant  sailors,  three 
of  which  I  take  satisfaction  in  briefly  narrating. 

It  is  an  almost  unbelievable  statement,  though  strictly  true,  that  about 
the  beginning  of  1800  the  United  States  paid  tribute  to  the  Dey  of  Algiers. 
This  Moorish  potentate  was  powerful  enough  to  exact  a  license  from  Ameri- 
can vessels  entering  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  and  refusal  was  punished  by 


BRAVEST   DEEDS   PERFORMED   BY  AMERICAN  SAILORS.     229 

capture  of  our  ships  and  holding  the  crews  in  slavery  until  ransomed  by  our 
government.  The  humiliation  involved  in  submission  to  such  infamous 
imposition  of  a  barbarous  power,  galled  the  American  people,  but  lack  of 
war-ships  to  protect  our  commercial  vessels  compelled  the  United  States  to 
endure  these  piratical  levies  for  several  years.  In  1801,  however,  we 
declared  war  against  the  Dey  of  Tripoli,  and  in  that  and  the  following  year 
there  were  despatched  to  Mediterranean  waters  the  frigates  "President," 
"Philadelphia,"  "Essex,"  "Chesapeake,"  "Constitution,"  "New  York," 
"  John  Adams  "  and  the  "  Enterprise."  This  fleet  was  first  placed  in  com- 
mand of  Commodore  Richard  V.  Morris,  who,  after  winning  a  small  victory, 
remained  so  long  inactive  that  he  was  dismissed  from  the  service  in  1803. 
Thereafter  the  fleet  was  under  the  direction  of  Commodore  Preble.  The 
war  vessels  sent  by  our  government  to  the  Barbary  coast  did  not  constitute 
a  fleet,  because  they  acted  independently,  performing  the  duty  of  cruisers, 
watching  the  enemy's  ships,  guarding  such  American  vessels  as  entered  the 
sea,  and  fighting  the  pirates  whenever  found.  While  thus  engaged  the 
"  Philadelphia  "  captured  a  Moorish  cruiser  which  was  added  to  our  protec- 
tive force ;  but  soon  after,  while  chasing  another  pirate  ship,  the  "  Phila- 
delphia "  run  hard  aground  upon  a  reef  in  the  harbor  of  Tripoli,  and  fell  an 
easy  prey  to  the  Moors,  who  made  slaves*of  Captain  Bainbridge  and  all  his 
crew. 

The  "  Philadelphia  "  was  one  of  the  staunchest  and  best  armed  ships  of 
the  American  navy,  and  as  the  Moors  succeeded  in  floating  her  at  high  tide, 
without  damage,  her  loss  seriously  crippled  our  Mediter- 
ranean fleet  and  correspondingly  strengthening  that  of  the    ^CaPturco    hc^ 
enemy.     Her  recapture  appeared  impossible,  for  while  she        by  pjrates. 
might    have    been    beaten    in   an  engagement   with    the 
"  Chesapeake  "  or  the  "  Constitution,"  the  Moors  shrewdly  kept  her  in  the 
harbor  to  increase  the  defence  of  Tripoli,  an  attack  upon  which   city  the 
American's  had  for  some  time  contemplated. 

There  was  among  the  brave  men  who  fought  the  pirates  from  the  deck 
of  the  "  Chesapeake,"  a    young  lieutenant  named  Stephen  Decatur,    cool, 
courageous  and  resourceful,  ready  to  engage  in  any  peril- 
ous undertaking,  who  conceived  a  plan  for  destroying  the       \he  Moors 
"  Philadelphia,"  which  for  its  desperate  daring  and  man- 
ner of  execution  has  few  equals  in  the  world's  naval  history.     His  purpose 
having  been  approved,  Decatur,  with  seventy-four  volunteers,  took   charge 
of  the  light  frigate  "  Intrepid,"  in  which  they  bore  down  upon  the  "  Phila- 
delphia "  at   her   anchorage   before   the  guns  of  the    Tripoli  fortifications. 
Their  adventure  was  well  timed,  when  a  starless  night   rendered  them  less 


23o    BRAVEST   DEEDS  PERFORMED  BY  AMERICAN  SAILORS. 

liable  to  discovery  and  gave  a  friendly  cover  to  their  daring  expedient.  As 
they  moved  under  a  light  breeze  towards  the  doomed  vessel,  they  were 
hailed  by  the  Moors,  but  gave  a  satisfactory  reply,  that  their  ship  was  a 
merchantman  which  had  lost  her  anchor  and  was  helplessly  adrift.  By  this 
stratagem  the  "  Intrepid  "  was  enabled  to  reach  the  frigate,  and  no  sooner 
had  the  vessels  been  thus  brought  together  than  Decatur  and  his  equally 
brave  comrades  leaped  onto  the  "  Philadelphia "  and  with  cutlasses  hewed 
down  the  terrified  and  unprepared  Moors ;  then  applying  the  torch,  they  set 
fire  to  the  frigate  in  several  places  so  as  to  insure  her  certain  destruction,  after 
which  the  Americans  made  good  their  escape  before  the  Tripolitans  on 
shore  became  aware  of  the  cause  of  the  "  Philadelphia's  "  burning. 

This  heroic  act  of  Decattir's  proved  to  be  only  the  prelude  of  a  more 
thrilling  adventure,  of  which  he  was  soon  to  be  the  hero.  Soon  after  the 
destruction  of  the  "Philadelphia,"  Commodore  Preble 
1  made  a  vigorous  attack  upon  Tripoli,  using  his  frigates, 
mortar-boats,  and  schooners  with  excellent  effect.  In  the 
harbor  at  the  time  were  three  Moorish  gunboats,  one  of  which  was  compelled 
to  strike  her  colors  to  Lieutenant  James  Decatur,  a  younger  brother  of 
Stephen,  but  as  the  lieutenant  boarded  his  prize  the  treacherous  captain  shot 
him  dead,  and  as  the  two  boats  parted  the  Moor  made  his  escape.  Stephen 
Decatur  was  soon  apprised  of  the  fate  of  his  brother  and  immediately  entered 
upon  a  chase  after  the  fleeing  gunboat,  which  in  a  few  hours  he  overhauled  and 
resolutely  boarded.  The  Moorish  captain  was  readily  distinguishable  by  his 
gaudy  uniform  and  by  his  herculean  stature,  but  disparity  of  size  failed  to 
deter  Decatur  in  personally  avenging  the  treacherous  death  of  his  brother. 
While  others  of  his  crew  fought  hand  to  hand  with  the  Moorish  sailors, 
Decatur  engaged  the  captain,  one  with  a  pike,  the  other  with  a  cutlass. 
The  Moor  was  of  superior  strength,  but  Decatur  had  the  advantage  in  dex- 
terity, which  served  him  in  excellent  stead.  Every  lunge  of  the  pike  was 
deftly  parried  by  Decatup's  cutlass,  until  at  length  both  weapons  became 
useless,  and  the  two  men  grappled  for  a  death  struggle,  for  death  alone  could 
terminate  the  fight.  After  wrestling  for  a  while  the  greater  strength  of  the 
Moor  prevailed  and  Decatur  was  violently  thrown  upon  the  vessel's  deck, 
with  his  savage  enemy  on  top,  who  felt  sure  of  victory  with  the  advantage 
now  all  his  own. 

The  Moorish  captain,  with  his  left  arm  opposing  his  struggling  adver- 
sary, tried  to  draw  his  dagger  from  the  sash-belt  he  wore,  but  while  so 
attempting  Decatur  contrived  to  reach  his  pistol,  which  he  thrust  against  the 
back  of  his  enemy  and  discharged  a  ball  into  his  heart.  But  no  sooner  had 
Decatur  risen,  blood-covered,  from  his  fight  with  the  captain,  when  he  was 


BRAVEST   DEEDS   PERFORMED   BY  AMERICAN  SAILORS.     231 

beset  by  another  Moor,  who  aimed  a  savage  blow,  which  would  have  certainly 
killed  Decatur  had  not  Reuben  James,  a  sailor,  interposed  his  own  arm  and 
head,  which  received  the  full  force  of  the  stroke.  James  received  a  ghastly 
wound  but  ultimately  recovered  and  lived  nearly  forty  years  afterward. 

HEROIC  EXPLOIT  OF  CAPTAIN  SOMERS. 

If  it  were  possible  to  surpass  the  dashing  and  hazardous  feats  performed 
by  Decatur,  the  honor  of  such  daring  deeds  belongs  to  Captain  Richard 
Somers,  Lieutenant  Henry  Wadsworth,  and  the  eleven  danger-defying  sailors 
who  accompanied  them  on  the  perilous  enterprise  which  I  am  about  to  describe. 

Tripoli  had  several  times  been  bombarded,  but  so  small  had  the  damage 
been  that  the  Moors  remained  defiant  and  their  power  was  little  curtailed. 
A  scheme  was  at  length  proposed  to  destroy  the  Moorish  harbor-squadron 
by  a  desperate  strategy,  which  Captain  Somers  and  his  companions  volun- 
teered to  execute,  though  to  do  so  meant  certain  death  to  them.  In  pursuance 
of  the  plans  adopted,  the  "  Intrepid "  was  fitted  out  as  a  bomb-vessel,  or 
improvised  torpedo-boat.  Under  her  decks  were  stored  one  hundred  barrels 
of  powder,  about  which  were  disposed  shells,  scraps  of  iron  and  solid  shot, 
the  whole  being  so  connected  with  fuses  that  it  might  be  exploded  at  any 
moment  desired.  The  original  intention  of  this  brave  crew,  no  doubt,  was 
to  apply  a  slow  match  when  the  vessel  should  be  brought  to  a  position  where 
the  energy  of  the  explosion  would  be  most  disastrous  to  the  enemy's  boats, 
and  then  row  away,  but  this  was  seen  to  be  impracticable  and  the  men  went 
fearlessly  to  their  certain  fate. 

When  this  desperate  undertaking  was  put  into  effect  (May  25,  1804,)  the 
night  was  perfectly  clear,  save  for  a  mist  that  hung  on  the  water,  and  for 
what  followed  we  are  indebted  to  Admiral  Stewart,  a  spec- 
tator of  the  holocaust,  who  thus  reported  the  incident :        Forward,  to  Death ! 

"  We  watched  the  '  Intrepid  '  as  she  slowly  disappeared 

in  the  gloom.  I  held  my  night-glass  levelled  until  the  vessel  was  lost  to 
sight.  Then  followed  the  anxious  minutes  of  suspense.  I  was  still  look- 
ing, when  I  saw  a  point  of  light  move  rapidly  to  one  side,  slightly  rising 
and  falling,  as  it  would  do  if  a  man  held  a  lantern  in  his  hand  while  run- 
ning. Then  the  light  dropped  from  sight,  as  if  the  one  carrying  it  had 
leaped  down  a  hatchway.  I  instinctively  knew  what  it  meant.  Somers  had 
been  discovered  and  was  about  to  blow  up  the  '  Intrepid.'  Suddenly  a  vast 
column  of  fire  shot  upward,  and  the  sea  rocked.  The  air  was  filled  with 
flaming  bombs,  sails,  missiles  and  fragments  which  continued  splashing  into 
the  water,  as  it  seemed  to  me,  for  several  minutes,  when  all  became  dark 


*v\2      BUAVEST  DEEDS  PERFORMED  BY  AMERICAN  vSAlLORS. 

and  silent  AS  before.  It  can  never  be  known  whether  the  explosion  was 
int&.ii1"otia!  ov  not,  but  I  have  no  doubt  Somers  deliberately  blew  up  the  vessel 
when  he  foai^,  it  was  a  choice  between  that  and  being  taken  prisoner. 
Not  a  iingre  o  ».c  of  the  thirteen  heroes  lived  to  tell  the  story." 

5 RAVE  ACT  OF  LIEUTENANT  GUSHING. 

That  Amevvoan  ingenuity,  no  more  than  American  bravery,  is  confined 
to  no  section,  was  abundantly  demonstrated  during  the  Civil  War.  While 
the  North  built  n;onitors,  the  South  was  equally  inventive  in  the  construc- 
tion of  mighty  floating  fortresses,  the  most  famous  of  which  was  the  ram 
"  Albemarle,"  th'u  wrought  a  terrific  slaughter  among  our  shipping,  defiant 
and  victorious,  uu+M  her  career  was  arrested  by  the  heroic  exploit  of  Lieu- 
tenant William  V3,  Gushing  of  the  U.  S.  N.,  which  made  his  name  as 
imperishable  as  thaf,  of  Hobson,  Decatur  and  Somers. 

The  "Albeuidile"  was  built  under  the  greatest  possible  difficulties, 
such  as  proved  the  extraordinary  resourcefulness  and  skill  of  her  designers. 
Work  of  construction  was  done  at  Edward's  Ferry,  a  point  on  the  Roanoke 
a  few  miles  above  Plymouth,  North  Carolina,  where  there  was  small  likeli- 
'hood  of  interruptUm  from  the  Union  forces,  but  the  place  was  likewise 
almost  inaccessible  for  heavy  material.  The  armor  used  was  railroad  iron, 
to  secure  which  a  hundred  miles  of  country  had  to  be  scoured,  the  material 
having  to  be  hau^d  by  ox  and  mule  teams  over  almost  virgin  territory,  while 
the  building  plant  was  a  common  blacksmith  shop.  Notwithstanding  these 
unexampled  difficulties,  the  "Albemarle,"  when  completed  and  armed  with 
two  loo-pounder  Armstrong  guns,  was  the  most  formidable  war  vessel  afloat 
at  the  time.  The  Union  forces  knew  that  she  was  under  construction,  and  to 
prevent  her  egress  obstructions  were  placed  across  the  river,  but  the  very  high 
water  of  April  19,  1863,  enabled  her  to  pass  these  successfully,  at  midnight. 
Her  entrance  into  the  sound  was  immediately  discovered  by  the  gunboats 
" Mattabesett,  "Sassacus,"  "Wyalusing,"  "Southfield,"  "Miami,"  and  three 
smaller  boats  which  composed  our  fleet,  the  commanders  of  which,  not  being 
fully  informed  as  to  the  character  of  their  adversary,  boldly  attacked  her. 
The  "  Albemarle  "  was  so  heavy  as  to  be  unwieldy  and  her  engines  were  of 
small  power,  but  she  was  handled  with  such  skill  that  she 
succeeded  in  ramming  the  "Southfield"  with  a  force  that 
drove  her  iron  prow  into  the  vitals  of  the  gunboat,  but  the 
blow  came  near  destroying  both  vessels,  for  the  "  Albemarle  "  was  unable  to 
detach  herself  from  the  sinking  "  Southfield,"  and  as  the  latter  settled  the 
bow  of  the  "  Albemarle "  was  drawn  down  with  her  victim.  When  the 


BRAVEST  DEEDS   PERFORMED   BY  AMERICAN  SAILORS.     233 

water  began  rushing  in  at  the  bow  porthole,  the  "  Albemarle  "  was  released 
by  the  "  Southfield  "  turning  over,  whereupon  the  "  Albemarle "  righted 
without  damage  and  engaged  the  "  Miami,"  which  was  firing  upon  the  ram 
at  such  close  quarters  that  a  shell  rebounding  from  her  iron  sides  burst  and 
killed  Lieutenant  Flusser  of  the  "  Miami,"  and  a  dozen  of  his  men.  The 
"  Albemarle "  was  excellent  as  a  fortress,  but  nearly  a  failure  as  a  vessel 
because  of  the  insufficiency  of  her  power,  and  having  only  two  guns,  at  the 
bow  and  stern,  her  battery  could  not  be  used  rapidly,  which  defect  enabled 
the  "  Miami "  and  the  other  vessels  to  make  their  escape  down  the  river. 
The  "Albemarle  "  made  no  attempt  to  pursue  the  Union  gunboats  but  turned 
to  attack  Plymouth,  which  she  forced  to  surrender  on  the  twentieth. 

The  formidable  character  of  the  "Albemarle"  and  her  manifest  purpose 
and  opportunity  for  inflicting  great  damage  to  the  Union  gunboats  co- 
operating with  Grant  in  the  campaign  for  the  reduction  of 
Richmond,  filled  the  Federal  government  with  the  greatest  ^"itL  °S  i°y.i 
alarm.  "At  this  grave  juncture,  Lieutenant  Gushing,  who 
lacked  one  month  of  being  twenty-two  years  of  age,  volunteered  to  undertake 
the  destruction  of  the  mighty  leviathan  of  the  Confederacy,  which  had 
come  to  be  regarded  in  the  north  as  an  invulnerable  minotaur  demanding  a 
sacrifice  of  the  Union  coast  fleets.  Anticipating  an  effort  to  capture  or 
destroy  the  "  Albemarle  "  while  she  lay  at  Plymouth,  her  officers  sought  to 
guard  against  torpedo  attack  by  protecting  her  sides  by  placing  a  boom  of 
Cyprus  logs,  bound  together  with  heavy  chains,  around  her  hull  for  a  distance 
of  thirty  feet,  while  one  of  her  guns  was  turned  down  the  river  to  command 
the  approach  which  an  enemy  must  make  from  that  direction.  These  pre- 
cautions were  known  to  the  brave  Gushing,  who  resolved  upon  a  plan  to 
effect  his  purpose  despite  them.  Accordingly,  on  the  night  of  October  26, 
he  embarked  in  a  small  picket  boat  and.  began  an  ascent  of  Albemarle 
sound,  destined  for  Plymouth,  which  is  at  the  mouth  of  the  Roanoke. 
He  had  proceeded  only  a  short  distance  when  his  little  vessel  ran  aground 
and  action  had  to  be  deferred  until  the  following  night,  which  for  his  good 
fortune  was  very  dark  and  stormy.  Proceeding  again  at  midnight  of  the 
twenty-seventh,  Gushing  halted  a  mile  below  Plymouth,  where  he  reconnoit- 
ered  until,  finding  that  conditions  favored  his  adventure,  he  boldly  pushed  on 
by  the  wreck  of  the  "  Southfield  "  and  into  the  river  mouth,  until  the  barking 
of  a  dog  betrayed  his  approach.  This  seemed  to  give  the  alarm  to  the 
Confederates,  who  for  some  reason  had  relaxed  their  vigilance  and  allowed 
the  picket  fires  to  smoulder  under  the  drizzling  rain.  In  a  moment,  however, 
the  watch  was  fully  aroused  and  the  little  launch  was  challenged,  to  which 
no  reply  being  made  a  general  alarm  was  sounded,  and  Gushing  saw 


234    BRAVEST   DEEDS   PERFORMED   BY    AMERICAN   SAILORS. 

that  his  attempt  to  surprise  the  "  Albemarle's  "  crew  had  miscarried.  Not 
to  be  deterred  from  his  desperate  purpose,  he  set  fear  at  defiance  and  pushed 
his  little  boat  ahead  until  his  progress  was  arrested  by  the  logs  that 
surrounded  the  vessel.  A  volley  of  musketry  from  the  ram  riddled  the 

launch  but  did    not  arrest    its   progress.     A  torpedo  was 

A  Torpedo  Exploded  attac]ie(j  to  a  ]orig  spar  that  was  nin  ollt  from  tiie  bow  of 
Under  the 
Ram's  Hull.        tne  launch,  and  by  parting  the  logs  the  boat  was  brought 

within  a  dozen  feet  of  the  "  Albemarle's  "  sides,  permitting 
Gushing  to  drop  the  torpedo,  which  was  then  brought  against  the  hull  of  the 
now  fated  vessel,  where  it  was  promptly  fired  and  with  such  effect  that  the 
bottom  of  the  "Albemarle"  was  torn  for  a  distance  of  fifty  feet,  and  she 
settled  quickly.  Of  the  fourteen  volunteers  who  accompanied  dishing,  ten 
surrendered  to  the  Confederates  as  the  launch  was  fast  on  the  logs,  but  the 
heroic  commander,  and  John  Woodman,  acting  master's  mate,  threw  off  their 
clothes  and  jumped  into  the  water.  They  were  fired  upon  by  many  of  the 
shore  guards,  but  were  favored  by  the  darkness  and  swam  down  the  steam 
for  a  distance  of  half  a  mile  without  being  once  hit,  though  the  bullets 
struck  all  around  them.  Woodman,  less  expert  than  Gushing,  was  unable, 
however,  to  gain  the  shore,  and  sank  beneath  the  murky  water,  but  Gushing 
succeeded  in  gaining  the  bank  and  hid  himself  in  a  swamp  until  morning, 
when  he  found  refuge  in  a  negro's  hut  and  later  put  off  in  a  skiff  to  the 
Union  fleet  in  the  sound,  where  he  was  joyfully  received. 

For  his  heroic  act  Gushing  received  a  vote  of  thanks  from  Congress  and 
was  promoted  to  be  lieutenant-commander,  but  shortly  after  the  close  of  the 
war  he  was  seized  of  a  brain  malady  that  destroyed  his  mind,  which  soon 
led  to  his  death. 


STRANGE  CUSTOMS  OF  OUR  WEST  INDIES  NEIGHBORS.     235 

\ 

STRANGE  CUSTOMS  OF  OUR  WEST  INDIES  NEIGHBORS. 

BY  AN  AMERICAN  PORTO  RICAN. 

SINCE  the  achievement  of  Cuban  Independence,  through  United  States 
intervention,  and  the  acquisition  of  Porto  Rico  as  a  war  indemnity, 
the  habits,  beliefs  and  singular  customs  of  these  island  people  have 
become  subjects  of  large  interest  to  Americans.  Though  lying  so 
near  our  coast  as  to  give  evidence  of  having  at  one  time  been  a  part  of  the 
North  American  continent,  these  islands  are  distinct  in  their  climatic  condi- 
tions and  natural  productions,  as  their  inhabitants  are  alien,  in  manner,  to 
the  civilization  of  our  country.  Speaking  another  tongue  than  ours,  the 
West  Indian  is  characteristically  foreign  in  everything  that  appertains  to  our 
customs,  social,  domestic  and  political,  and  years  of  intimate  intercourse  will 
be  required  to  accomplish  their  assimilation  with  the  American  people.  A 
few  of  their  remarkable  habits  here  given  will  suffice  to  justify  this  conclusion  : 

Coffins  are  rented  by  the  day  in  Cuba  and  Porto  Rico.  When  a 
member  of  a  family  dies,  one  of  the  relatives  or  a  friend  goes  to  a  "  Casa  de 
Funebras,"  or  public  undertaker,  and  enters  into  negotiations  for  a  coffin. 
He  does  not  buy  it,  but  stipulates  for  the  temporary  use.  The  age  and 
height  of  the  late  lamented  are  given,  particulars  arranged  for  certain  trim- 
mings, and  as  many  mutes  as  the  family  purse  will  permit  are  engaged. 

The  price  charged  ranges  from  five  dollars  to  twenty,  according  to  the 
size  of  the  coffin,  the  decorations  and  the  number  of  mourning  mutes. 
Burials  must  take  place  within  twenty-four  hours  of  death  under  penalty  of 
a  heavy  fine.  Horses  are  seldom  used,  save  by  the  wealthy.  When  the 
time  set  for  the  funeral  arrives,  a  short  service,  which  the  immediate  family 
does  not  attend,  is  held  ;  then  the  coffin  is  lifted  upon  the  shoulders  of  four 
mutes,  who  are  generally  clad  in  white  trousers,  long  black  coats,  ancient 
silk  hats  and  high  collars.  Huge  bouquets  of  artificial  flowers  are  worn  in 
the  buttonhole,  but  in  many  cases  the  coffin-bearers  are  barefooted. 

At  a  word  given  by  the  master  of  ceremonies,  also  furnished  by  the 
undertaker,  the  procession  starts  for  the  cemetery,  which  may  be  three  or 
four  miles  distant.  The  spectacle  furnished  by  four  grotesque  negroes 
swaying  and  lurching  through  the  uneven  streets  under  the  burden  of  a 
broad,  shallow,  black-draped  coffin,  and  the  thin  line  of  native  friends  and 
mourners  following  in  the  rear,  all  puffing  away  at  cigarettes  or  chattering 
gayly  over  some  mot  of  the  day,  is  remarkable.  Haste  seems  to  be  the  main 


236    STRANGE  CUSTOMS  OF  OUR  WEST  INDIES  NEIGHBORS. 

object.  At  times  the  procession  moves  at  a  trot,  never  at  less  speed  than  a 
rapid  walk.  Spectators  uncover  as  the  coffin  passes,  and  some  make  the 
sign  of  the  cross.  The  followers  lessen  as  the  cemetery  is  neared,  and  when 
the  grave  is  reached  there  are  seldom  more  than  three  or  four  besides  the 
paid  mourners.  The  grave  is  deep,  and  at  the  bottom  is  a  thin  layer  of 
quicklime.  The  body,  robed  in  tawdry  finery,  is  taken  from  the  coffin  and 
literally  dumped  in.  More  lime  is  used,  then  the  inutes  return  to  their 
employer  with  the  coffin. 

Every  Cuban  and  Porto  Rican  cemetery  is  surrounded  by  immensely 
thick  walls  containing  rows  of  niches.  These  niches  are  sold  to  the  wealthy 
for  five  years,  the  price  ranging  from  forty  to  two  hundred  dollars,  according 
to  the  situation.  When  a  body  is  placed  inside  a  niche  the  opening  is 
bricked  up  and  plastered.  Then  the  services  of  a  cemetery  "  artist "  are 
secured,  and  a  suitable  inscription  painted  upon  the  white  plastered  end. 
At  the  conclusion  of  five  years  the  niche  must  be  paid  for  again,  or  the 
remains  will  be  removed  to  the  common  burying  corner. 

Visitors  to  our  new  possessions  will  find  a  multitude  of  other  queer 
trades.  In  fact,  almost  every  trade  or  profession  is  conducted  differently 
from  the  methods  pursued  in  the  United  States.  Beggars 
e£gars  '  '  ride  on  horseback  and  block  your  way  upon  a  crossing  to 
importune  you  for  a  peseta.  One  day  recently,  while  riding 
in  Santiago  de  Cuba,  I  noticed  a  wee  native  boy  following  me  upon  a 
sorry-looking  burro.  As  I  passed  the  Plaza  de  Armas  another  boy  similarly 
mounted  fell  in  behind.  Near  the  cathedral  still  another  joined  the  proces- 
sion. As  I  spurred  up  I  heard  a  clattering  in  the  rear  and  noticed  that  my 
escort  was  plying  whips  in  an  effort  to  keep  up.  Reining  in  near  the 
Administration  Building,  I  asked  them  what  they  wanted. 

"  To  hold  your  horse,  senor,"  they  replied  in  chorus. 

They  would  have  followed  me  ten  miles  for  the  sake  of  earning  a  five- 
cent  piece. 

One  of  the  officers  on  General  Guy  V.  Henry's  staff  in  San  Juan,  Porto 

Rico,  rented  a  house  in  the  pretty  little  capital,  and  sent  for  his  family.     A 

brother  officer,  ordered  home,  sold  him  his  furniture,  and 

the  moving  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  a  native  hanger-on 

on  Their  Heads.  & 

about  the  palace.  The  following  morning  the  staff  officer 
went  to  his  new  abode  to  receive  the  furniture.  It  arrived  as  he  reached  the 
house.  Coming  down  the  narrow  street  he  saw  a  strange  procession  consist- 
ing of  twelve  or  more  men.  The  first  six  were  carrying  a  piano  perched 
upon  their  heads,  and  each  of  the  others  "  toted  "  a  chair  o/  a  washstaud. 
A  moment  later  another  procession  came  in  sight.  There  were  two  heavy 


STRANGE  CUSTOMS  OF  OUR  WEST  INDIES  NEIGHBORS.     237 

iron  beds,  each  borne  by  three  men,  an  immense  dresser,  under  which 
tottered  two  natives,  and  finally  several  boys  bearing  sundry  culinary  articles 
and  a  few  odds  and  ends. 

"  Heavens  and  earth,  man,"  exclaimed  the  officer,  aghast,  "  you  have 
engaged  a  battalion.  For  goodness'  sake,  what's  the  bill  ?" 

"  Doce  reales,  senor,"  was  the  calm  reply.  "  One  dollar  and  twenty  cents 
in  American  money." 

The  Americans  living  in  Cuba,  at  least  that  part  embraced  in  the  prov- 
ince of  Santiago  de  Cuba,  claim  that  only  one  thing  worth  eating  is  cooked 
there.     It  is  the  bread.     Cuban  bakers  excel  in  making 
rolls.     There  is  little  variety,  but  what  they  bake  is  first-  C"barl  B^kers'0n'y 

J  Accomplishment. 

class.  Bakers  work  at  night,  and  long  before  the  sun 
appears,  the  bread  vender  js  crying  his  wares  in  the  street.  He  does  not 
travel  in  a  four-wheeled  wagon,  emblazoned  with  the  name  of  his  employer, 
but  carries  the  rolls,  each  neatly  wrapped  in  a  leaf  or  husk,  in  baskets  sus- 
pended from  the  sides  of  a  burro.  The  vender's  melodious  cry,  "  Pan  fres- 
a-a  !  "  is  the  alarm  clock  that  wakens  half  the  city.  There  are  two  new  and 
rather  peculiar  trades  in  Santiago  de  Cuba  at  present,  trades  which  are  the 
direct  outcome  of  the  American  occupation.  They  are  the  selling  of  alleged 
curios  and  pawned  articles,  and  the  shining  of  shoes. 

An  American  cannot  walk  three  blocks  in  the  ancient  capital  without 
being  accosted  by  some  native  who  has  a  wonderful  curio  for  sale.  They 
approach  you  with  a  mysterious  air,  and  after  a  few  commonplace  remarks 
about  the  weather  and  the  mortality  of  the  city,  hint  that  you  may  be  able, 
in  return  for  a  ridiculously  small  sum,  to  obtain  possession  of  the  most  re- 
markable article  ever  discovered  in  the  province.  If  you  are  new  and  inex- 
perienced you  confess  your  interest.  You  are  conducted  down  some  narrow 
un paved  street  to  an  adobe  "  shack  "  and  invited  to  enter.  Your  Yankee  con- 
tempt of  the  native  forbids  fear,  and  you  are  soon  looking  at  the  wonderful 
curio.  It  may  be  a  bit  of  an  American  shell,  a  splinter  of  wood  from  the 
"  Merrimac's  "  foretqp  mast,  a  stone  from  Morro  Castle,  or  a  bone  from  the 
"  Vizcaya's  "  collection  of  human  remains,  but  you  can  rest  assured  that,  in 
nine  times  out  of  ten,  it  is  a  fake  and  a  snare. 

Shortly  after  my  arrival  in  Santiago  I  was  shown  a  dried,  wrinkled 
object,  which  the  curio  sharp  insisted  was  a  human  ear. 

It  certainly  resembled  that  appendage   in  a  wav,  and  I 

&  Ear  for  Sale. 

hastened  to  ask  whose  particular  ear  it  was. 

"  It  once  was  part  of  an  illustrious  American  general,"  the  man  replied 
solemnly. 

"  An  American  general  ?  "     I  gasped.     "  Who  ?  " 


*3s    STRANGE  CUSTOMS  OF  OUR  WEST  INDIES  NEIGHBORS. 

"  General  Sampson,  senor.  It  very  cheap.  I  sell  it  for  twenty-five 
dollars." 

The  evolution  of  the  bootblack  in  Santiago  de  Cuba  is  rather  interest- 
ing.    The   genus  did  not  exist  prior  to  the  war,  as  the  Spanish  military 
officers  and  the  citizens  wore  white  canvas   shoes,  which 
Bootblacks   in     were  Bended  to  by  the  house  servants.     It  was  not  long 

a  Barefoot  City. 

after  the  occupation  of  the  city  by  the  Americans,  how- 
ever, that  several  of  the  street  Arabs — as  shrewd  in  their  way  as  their  Yankee 
prototype — began  to  discover  that  the  newcomers  liked  to  have  their  shoes 
polished. 

A  good-natured  soldier  constructed  a  box  with  the  appropriate  foot-rest 
and  contents,  and  started  one  of  the  boys  in  business.  He  did  not  hold  the 
monopoly  more  than  one  day.  Within  forty-eigh^  hours  the  vicinity  of  the 
clubs  and  the  Cafe"  Venus  swarmed  with  half-clad  youngsters  eager  to  earn 
an  American  dime.  They  picked  up  English  in  a  remarkably  short  space 
of  time,  and  they  even  went  the  American  bootblack  one  better  by  varying 
their  request  according  to  the  color  of  the  prospective  customer's  shoes.  If 
the  color  was  tan,  they  would  invariably  say,  "  Meester !  Care  for  shoe 
brown  ?"  A  refusal  was  met  with  a  choice  collection  of  profane  words  learned 
from  the  army  teamsters,  but  uttered  in  such  whimsical  English  that  it  was 
impossible  to  show  anger. 

The  "  hokey-pokey  "  of  Cuba  and  Porto  Rico  is  a  liquid.     It  consists  of 

a  sweetened,  unfertnented  liquor,  made  from  a  plant,  and  is  as  much  a  delight 

to  the  native  youngster  as  the  Italian  microbe-bearing  ice- 

Hokey-Pokey       cream  js  J-Q  the  American  boy.    The  "  fresca,"  as  it  is  called, 
of  a  New  Kind. 

is  vended  from  gaily  decorated  carts,  and  the  huckster  an- 
nounces his  presence  in  a  street  by  sounding  sonorous  blasts  upon  a  cow's 
horn.  After  the  manner  of  such  men  in  all  climes,  he  usually  frequents  the 
vicinity  of  the  schools. 

It  is  a  sad  commentary  on  human  nature  when  the  purity  of  the  milk 

of  commerce  is  only  accepted  when  the  cow  delivers  it  in  person.     That  is 

the  peculiar  condition  of   affairs  in  our  new  possessions. 

Cows  Deliver       ^  ^  jlousewife  of  cuba  and  Porto  Rico  insists  on 

Their  Own  Milk. 

seeing  the  cow  milked  at  her  door.     Hence  it  is  no  unusual 

spectacle  to  find  the  narrow  street  obstructed  by  a  collection  of  bovine  animals, 
one  of  which  is  being  industriously  robbed  of  its  milk  by  a  native  dairy- 
man. In  this  operation  a  calf  plays  no  unimportant  part,  it  having  been 
found  by  experience  that  the  mother  cow  will  surrender  her  store  more 
easily  when  the  calf  is  given  the  first  chance.  There  are  not  many  dairy 
farms  in  the  islands,  and  butter  is  almost  unknown.  In  fact,  the  Spanish 


A  SKETCH  OF  AGUINAIJDO.  239 

word  for  butter,  "  mantiquilla,"  is  a  recent  addition  to  the  vocabulary,  it 
having  been  derived  from  "  manteca,"  the  word  for  lard. 

The  selling  of  ice  is  another  innovation.  It  is  only  within  the  last  few 
years  that  ice  has  been  known  to  the  natives,  and  even  now  it  is  confounded 
with  snow  in  the  minds  of  most.  In  Santiago  de  Cuba  it 

is  indiscriminately  called  "  nieve  "  and  "  hiele,"  the  former        Bu5M"8  '< 

as  a  Curiosity, 

being  snow  and  the  latter  ice.     It  is  hawked  about  in  the 

streets  from  small  covered  carts,  and 'is  sold  by  the  pound  and  half-pound  at 
exorbitant  prices.  The  natives  from  the  interior  never  fail  to  buy  a  piece  as 
a  curiosity,  and  their  childlike  wonderment  on  seeing  it  melt  in  their  hands 
is  laughable.  All  ice  used  in  the  southern  islands  is  manufactured. 

An  odd  profession  in  Cuba  and  Porto  Rico,  and  one  undoubtedly  native 
to  those  countries,  is  the  finger  nail  artist.  Among  certain  members  of  the 
lower  middle  class,  the  clerks  and  book-keepers,  it  is  con- 
sidered the  correct  thing  to  cultivate  a  certain  nail  of  the  A  Finger  Nail  Artist. 
left  hand.  In  fact,  it  is  visible  proof  that  the  wearer  does 
not  perform  manual  labor.  They  argue  ingeniously  that  a  man  cannot 
shovel  or  work  with  his  hands  if  he  has  a  finger  nail  two  or  three  inches 
long.  The  "  artist "  has  his  regular  customers,  and  he  calls  daily  and  polishes 
and  rubs  and  labors  until  the  pet  nail  is  in  proper  condition.  It  is  not  un- 
usual to  find  him  at  work  in  his  customer's  store  while  the  latter  attends  to 
affairs  of  trade.  It  is  safe  to  venture  that  the  custom  will  not  invade  this 
country.  It  is  useful,  however,  as  an  additional  peculiarity  fot  the  edifica- 
tion of  Yankee  visitors. 


A  SKETCH  OF  AGUINALDCX 

BY  J.  W.  BUEL. 

IT  is  a  difficult  thing  to  do,  to  write  with  definiteness  and  accuracy  of  the 
self-appointed  president  of  the  Philippines,  but  it  is  no  exaggeration  to 
place  him  among  the  great  men  of  our  times,  a  position  which  he 
occupies  quite  as  much  by  reason  of  the  praise  and  abuse  to  which  he 
is  subjected  as  by  virtue  of  his  abilities  as  a  leader. 

Emilio  Aguinaldo  was  born  in  the  province  of  Cavite,  near  Manila,  in 
1870,  but  not  even  he  knows  the  exact  date.  His  father,  it  is  said,  was 
a  Spanish  officer  and  his  mother  a  Tagalo-Chinese  of  low  origin,  of  whom  he 
knows  but  little,  and  less  of  his  father,  while  some  declare  he  is  son  of  a  dis- 
solute but  learned  Jesuit  priest.  This  latter  claim  has  some  support  by  the  fact 


240  A  SKETCH   OF   AGUINALDO. 

that  at  the  age  of  four  years  he  was  house-boy  in  the  home  of  a  Jesuit  priest, 
where,  contrary  to  the  general  usage,  he  was  treated  with  kindness  and  given 
educational  advantages  which  ordinary  native  servants  in  the  Philippines 
never  receive.  As  a  boy  he  was  precocious,  was  gifted  with  a  remarkable 
memory,  and  at  the  age  of  seven  he  was  regarded  as  a  prodigy  of  learning. 

The  Jesuit  priest  who  undertook  his  care,  placed  Emilio  in  the  medical 
department  of  the  University  of  Manila  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  where  he 
remained  a  year,  and  then  joining  the  Masonic  Order, 
FieeTor*  *  L"f  w^ich  was  a  capital  offence  under  the  old  Spanish  law,  he 
was  compelled  to  flee  to  Hong  Kong.  Here  he  became 
associated  with  other  expatriated  Filipinos,  and  it  was  here  he  conceived  the 
purpose  of  leading  an  insurrection  of  his  people  against  Spanish  rule  in  the 
Philippines.  In  order  to  prepare  himself  for  the  part  of  an  insurgent  leader, 
Aguinaldo  attended  the  drills  of  the  British  garrison  and  acquired  a  knowledge 
of  military  tactics  by  a  course  of  private  study.  He  also  served  for  a  while 
in  the  Chinese  army,  and  later  in  the  Chinese  navy,  and  was  a  studious  reader 
of  works  on  strategy  and  the  campaigns  of  Wellington,  Bonaparte,  Von 
Moltke  and  Grant.  While  at  Hong  Kong,  Aguinaldo  made  the  most  of  his 
opportunities  by  studying  French,  German,  Latin,  Greek  and  Chinese,  and 
it  is  said  of  him  that  he -is  able  to  converse  in  ten  different  languages.  An 
unconfirmed  report  represents  him  as  being  a  student  at  a  Munich  university, 
but  if  this  be  true  his  stay  in  Europe  must  have  been  a  short  one,  for  in 
1893  he  was  in  Manila — a  recognized  leader  of  the  Filipinos. 

So  successful  were  the  insurgents  that  the  Spanish  authorities,  seeing 
the  impossibility  of  subduing  them  by  force,  offered  the  rebels  many  induce- 
ments to  lay  down  their  arms,  promising  a  money  payment 
Spam  Tries  the  Q£  $IjOoo,ooo,  to  grant  all  reforms  requested,  and  to  give 

Effect  of  .  i     it-  /TAI  • 

Golden  Promises.  a  Pardon  to  all  engaged  in  the  rebellion.  This  agreement 
was  accepted  by  the  insurgents,  who  held  themselves  faith- 
fu*.  to  its  terms.  Aguinaldo  went  to  Hong  Kong  to  receive  the  money,  but 
while  the  Spanish  Government  voted  the  stipulated  sum,  corrupt  officials  kept 
the  greater  part,  paying  over  only  $300,000.  Nor  was  the  promise  of  reform 
fulfilled,  but  on  the  contrary  the  impositions  of  taxes  and  torture  became 
greater,  until  in  the  fall  of  1897,  Aguinaldo  and  his  compatriots  determined 
to  raise  the  flag  of  revolt  again.  Thereupon  he  returned  to  Manila  and 
made  a  tour  of  Luzon,  visiting  all  the  towns  of  that  island,  and  by  the 
power  of  his  eloquence  stirred  the  fire  of  revolution  until  its  red  glare  illu- 
minated all  the  Philippines.  His  influence  was  predominant,  the  natives 
hailed  him  as  a  savior,  and  invested  him  with  miraculous  attributes, 
ing  him  to  be  invulnerable  and  omnipotent. 


A  SKETCH   OF  AGUINALDO.  241 

Aguinaldo  proved  himself  a  man  of  amazing  resources,  as  well  as  one 
remarkable  for  keen  foresight  and  adroitness.  Though  never  able  to  raise 
large  sums  of  money,  he  managed  to  procure  considerable  arms  and  muni- 
tions, and  maintained  an  army  no  larger  than  he  was  prepared  to  equip. 
The  explosion  of  the  "  Maine  "  he  accepted  as  a  presage  of  war  between 
America  and  Spain,  and  all  his  prophecies  were  literally  fulfilled.  He  wrote 
and  spoke  with  intense  and  patriotic  earnestness  which  compelled  the  admi- 
ration of  even  his  enemies.  Foreseeing  that  war  was  inevitable,  he  went  to 
Hong  Kong,  and  there  cultivated  the  friendship  of  Mr.  Wildrnan,  the 
American  consul  of  that  city,  who,  Aguinaldo  and  Agoncillo  declare,  prom- 
ised independence  to  the  Filipinos,  and  professed  to  have  authority  from 
Washington  for  making  such  promise.  Belief  that  an  agreement  of  this 
character  was  made  seems  to  be  generally  prevalent  among  foreign  consuls 
at  Hong  Kong,  though  Mr.  Wildman  vigorously  denies 
that  he  ever  held  out  any  such  inducement,  and  disclaims  Asuiflaldo  9  ^roph" 

/  /  ecles  of  War. 

authority  to  act  for  the  government  as  a  ministerial  agent. 
In  any  event,  Aguinaldo,  as  if  acting  upon  the  belief  that  help  of  the 
insurgents  to  expel  Spain  would  be  rewarded  by  an  acknowledgment  of  their 
independence,  returned  to  the  Philippines  and  inaugurated  plans  of  campaign 
against  the  Spaniards  at  Manila  and  many  other  military  posts  on  the  islands. 
He  was  also  furnished  many  stands  of  arms  and  a  large  quantity  of  ammu- 
nition by  the  American  Government,  and  in  other  respects  was  recognized 
as  our  ally.  During  the  war  between  Spain  and  America,  it  is  admitted 
that  the  Filipino  insurgents  captured  15,000  Spanish  soldiers  and 
destroyed  Spanish  power  in  all  the  islands,  except  Luzon. 

While  fighting  Spain  successfully  at  every  point,  Aguinaldo  organized 
a  provisional  government,  and  on  June  23  (1898),  he  was  confirmed  general- 
in-chief  and   president  of  the   Filipino  government,  thus 
preparing  the  way  to  the  independence  which  he  expected  Chosen  President 

of  the  Filipino 

to  achieve.     In  December,  Aguinaldo  formed  his  second       Government. 
cabinet,  and  has  since  discharged  the  functions  of  an  actual 
ruler,  issuing  proclamations,  levying  taxes,  and  collecting  duties.     He   has 
also  familiarized  himself  as  far    as  possible  with  our  form  of  government, 
and  is  said  to  be  able  to  repeat  from  memory  the  whole  of  the  Constitution 
of  the  United    States.       His  army,  at  the  outbreak  of  hostilities  with  the 
United  States,   February    4  (1899),    comprised  25,000    men,  all  fairly  well 
armed,  but  poorly  drilled,  though  capable  of  offering  a  stubborn   resistance, 
the  character  of  the  country  being  such  as  makes  their  kind  cf  warfare  most 
difficult  to  combat 

/ 

16 


24*  CAPTURE  OF   GUAM. 


CAPTURE  OF  GUAM. 

BY  LIEUT.  WILLIAM  BRAUNERSREUTHER, 

{Chief  Executive  Officer  of  the  Cruiser  "  Charleston."} 

ON  June  20  as  we  lay  off  the  Ladrones,  I  received  orders  from 
Henry  Glass,  captain  of  the  "  Charleston,"  to  go  ashore  and  take 
possession  of  Agana,  capital  of  the  islands,  and  also  to  make 
prisoners  of  the  Spanish  authorities  I  should  find  there,  especially 
the  governor.  To  accomplish  this  purpose  I  took  a  force  of  160  marines, 
with  which  I  landed  unopposed,  and  proceeded  to  the  capital  and  presented 
to  the  governor  my  letter  and  demand  from  Captain  Glass,  which  letter  was 
in  the  form  of  an  ultimatum.  v 

The  captain's  instructions  were  to  wait  a  half  hour  for  his  answer  to 
our  ultimatum,  then  use  my  troops.  I  waited,  and  in  just  twenty-nine 
minutes  the  governor  handed  me  his  sealed  reply,  addressed  to  the  captain 
of  my  ship,  then  in  the  harbor  about  four  or  five  miles  off. 

I  knew  this  was  sealed  with  the  object  of  gaining  time,  and  hence  I 
broke  the  seal,  read  the  contents,  the  governor  protesting  and  saying  that 
that  was  a  letter  for  my  captain.  I  replied :  "  I  represent  him  here.  You 
are  now  my  prisoners,  senors,  and  will  have  to  come  on  board  ship  with 
me."  They  protested  and  pleaded,  and  finally  the  governor  said :  "  You 
came  on  shore  to  talk  over  matters,  and  you  make  us  prisoners  instead." 

I  replied:  "  I  came  on  shore  to  hand  you  a  letter  and  to  get  your  reply; 
in  this  reply  now  in  my  hands  you  agree  to  surrender  all  under  your  juris- 
diction. If  this  means  anything  at  all,  it  means  that  you  will  acc°de  to  any 
demands  I  may  deem  proper  to  make.  You  will  at  once  write  an  order  to 
your  military  man  at  Agana  (the  capital,  which  was  five  miles  distant), 
directing  him  to  deliver  at  this  place  at  4  p.  m.  (it  was  then  10.30  a.  in., 
'June  21),  all  ammunition  and  flags  on  the  island,  each  soldier  on  the  island 
to  bring  his  own  rifle  and  ammunition;  and  all  the  soldiers,  native  and  Span- 
ish, with  their  officers,  must  witness  this." 

They  protested  and  demurred,  declaring  this  was  not  time  enough  to  do 
it.  But  I  said:  "Senors,  it  must  be  done."  , 

The  letter  was  written,  read  by  me  and  sent.  I  took  all  the  officers 
with  me  in  a  boat,  and  at  4  p.  m.,  went  ashore  again  and  rounded  in  the 
whole  outfit.  I  was  three  miles  away  from  my  troops  and  had  only  four 
men  with  me.  At  4  p.  m.,  when  I  disarmed  108  men  and  two  officers,  I  had 
forty-six  men  and  three  officers  with  me. 


CAPTURE  OF  GUAM.  243 

The  keynote  to  the  whole  business  was  my  breaking  the  seal  of  that 
letter  and  acting  at  once.  The  governor  had  no  time  to  delay  or  pre- 
pare any  treacherous  tricks,  and  I  got  "  the  drop  "  on  the  whole  outfit,  as 
they  say  out  West.  The  native  troops  I  released  and  allowed  to  return  to 
their  homes  unrestricted;  they  had  manifested  great  joy  at  being  relieved  from 
Spanish  rule.  While  ^it  was  harsh,  it  was  war,  and  in  connection  with  the 
Spanish  treachery  it  was  all  that  could  be  done.  Twenty-four  hours  would 
have — yes,  I  believe  even  four  hours,  with  a  leader  such  as  the  governor  was, 
a  lieutenant-colonel  in  the  Spanish  army — given  them  a  chance  to  hide  along 
the  road  at  Agana,  and  at  intervals  in  the  dense  tropical  foliage  they  could 
have  almost  annihilated  any  force  we  could  land.  The  approaches  to  the 
landing  over  shallow  coral  reefs  would  have  made  landing  without  terri- 
ble loss  of  life  almost  an  impossibility;  but  all  is  well  that  ends  well. 

We  have  increased  by  conquest  the  population  of  the  United  States  by 
nearly  12,000  people.  The  capital  has  a  population  of  6,000  people.  The 
harbor  in  which  we  were  is  beautiful,  easy  of  access,  plenty  of  deep  water, 
admitting  of  the  presence  of  a  large  number  of  vessels  at  the  same  time,  and 
is  an  ideal  place  for  a  coaling  station.  If  our  government  decides  to  hold  the 
Philippines,  it  would  then  come  in  so  well ;  San  Francisco  to  Honolulu, 
2, 100  miles  ;  Honolulu  to  Island  of  Guam,  3,300,  and  thence  to  Manila, 
i, 600  miles.  With  a  chain  of  supply  stations  like  this  we  could  send  troops 
the  whole  year  round,  if  necessary,  and  any  vessel  with  a  steaming  capacity 
of  3,500  miles  could  reach  a  base  of  supplies. 

The  details  I  have  scarcely  touched  upon,  but  had  the  officials  and 
soldiers  dreamed  for  one  moment  that  they  were  to  be  torn  from  their  homes, 
there  would,  I  feel  sure,  have  been  another  story  to  tell,  and  I  am  firmly  con- 
vinced this  letter  would  never  have  been  written. 

The  captain,  in  extending  to  me  his  congratulations,  remarked  :  "  Braun- 
ersreuther,  you'll  never  as  long  as  you  live  have  another  experience  such 
as  this.  I  congratulate  you  on  your  work."  All  this  affair  was  transacted 
in  Spanish.  I  had  an  interpreter  with  me,  but  forgot  all  about  using  him.  I 
did  not  want  them  to  get  a  chance  to  think  even  before  it  was  too  late. 
The  results  of  this  expedition  was  the  capture  of  54  Spanish  soldiers, 
6  officers,  50  Mauser  rifles,  and  10,000  rounds  of  ammunition,  besides  the 
formal  occupation  of  the  islands,  by  raising  the  United  States  flag  over  the 
capitol  building. 


244  SHOT  AND   SHELL  I 

SHOT  AND  SHELL! 


The  Fierce  Combat  That  Swept  Cervera's  Squadron  From  the  Sea. 

BY 


A)MIRAL  CERVERA'S  squadron,  composed  of  four  powerful 
cruisers  and  two  torpedo  boats,  which  had  been  blockaded  in 
Santiago  Harbor,  Cuba,  for  more  than  a  month,  made  a  vain 
effort  to  escape  therefrom  on  July  3,  1898. 

The  enemy's  vessels  came  out  of  the  harbor  between  9.35  and  10  a.  m., 
the  head  of  the  column  appearing  around  Cay  Smith  at  9.31,  and  emerging 
from  the  channel  five  or  six  minutes  later. 

The  position  of  the  vessels  of  my  command  off  Santiago  at  that 
moment  were  as  follows  :  The  flagship  "  New  York  "  was  four  miles  east  of 
her  blockading  station  and  about  seven  miles  from  the  harbor  entrance.  She 
had  started  for  Siboney,  where  I  intended  to  land,  accompanied  by  several 
of  my.  staff,  and  go  to  the  front  to  consult  with  General  Shafter.  A  discus- 
sion of  the  situation,  and  a  more  definite  understanding  between  us  of  the 
operations  proposed,  had  been  rendered  necessary  by  the  unexpectedly  strong 
resistance  of  the  Spanish  garrison  of  Santiago. 

I  had  sent  my  chief  of  staff  on  shore  the  day  before  to  arrange  an 
interview  with  General  Shafter,  who  had  been  suffering  from  heat  prostra- 
tion. I  made  arrangements  to  go  to  his  headquarters,  and  my  flagship  was 
in  the  position  mentioned  above  when  the  Spanish  squadron  appeared  in  the 
channel.  The  remaining  vessels  were  in  or  near  their  usual  blockading 
positions,  distributed  in  a  semicircle  about  the  harbor  entrance,  counting 
from  the  eastward  to  the  westward  in  the  following  order  :  The  "  Indiana  " 
about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  shore  ;  the  "  Oregon  "  in  the  "  New 
York's  "  place  ;  between  these  two,  the  "  Iowa,"  "  Texas  "  and  "  Brooklyn," 
the  latter  two  miles  from  the  shore  west  of  Santiago.  The  distance  of  the 
vessels  from  the  harbor  entrance  was  from  two  and  one-half  to  four  miles, 
the  latter  being  the  limit  of  day-blockading  distance.  The  length  of  the 
arc  formed  by  the  ships  was  about  eight  miles.  The  "  Massachusetts  " 
had  left  at  43.  m.,  for  Guantanamo,  for  coal.  Her  station  was  between  the 


SHOT  AND  SHEW,!  245 

"Iowa"  and  "Texas."  The  auxiliaries  "Gloucester"  and  "Vixen"  lay 
close  to  the  land  and  nearer  the  harbor  entrance  than  the  large  vessels,  the 
"  Gloucester  "  to  the  eastward  and  the  "  Vixen  "  to  the  westward.  The 
torpedo  boat  "  Ericsson "  was  in  company  with  the  flagship,  and 
remained  with  her  during  the  chase  until  ordered  to  discontinue,  when  she 
rendered  very  efficient  service  in  rescuing  prisoners  from  the  burning 
"Vizcaya." 

The  Spanish  vessels  came  out  of  the  harbor  at  a  speed  estimated 
at  from  eight  to  ten  knots,  and  in  the  following  order :  "  Infanta  Maria 
Teresa "  (flagship),  "  Vizcaya,"  "  Cristobal  Colon  "  and 

the  "  Almirante  Oquendo."     The  distance  between  these   sPa"lsh  Vcs»els 

Appear. 

ships  was  about  800  yards,  which  means  that  from  the 

time  the  first  one  became  visible  in  the  upper  reach  of  the  channel  until  the 
last  one  was  out  of  the  harbor,  an  interval  of  only  about  twelve  minutes 
elapsed.  Following  the  "  Oquendo,"  at  a  distance  of  about  1,200  yards, 
came  the  torpedo-boat  destroyer  "  Pluton,"  arid  after  her  the  "  Furor."  The 
armored  cruisers,  as  rapidly  as  they  could  bring  their  guns  to  bear,  opened  a 
vigorous  fire  upon  the  blockading  vessels  and  emerged  from  the  channel 
shrouded  in  the  smoke  from  their  guns. 

The  men  of  our  ships  in  front  of  the  port  were  at  Sunday  "  quarters  for 
inspection."  The  signal  was  made  simultaneously  from  several  vessels, 
"  Enemy's  ships  escaping,"  and  general  quarters  was  sounded.  The  men 
cheered  as  they  sprang  to  their  guns,  and  fire  was  opened  probably  within 
eight  minutes  by  the  vessels  whose  guns  commanded  the  entrance.  The 
"  New  York  "  turned  about  and  steamed  for  the  escaping  fleet,  flying  the 
signal  "  Close  in  toward  harbor  entrance  and  attack  vessels,"  and  gradually 
increasing  speed  until  toward  the  end  of  the  chase  she  was  making  18^ 
knots,  and  was  rapidly  closing  on  the  "  Cristobal  Colon."  She  was  not,  at 
any  time,  within  the  range  of  heavy  Spanish  ships,  and  her  only  part  in 
the  engagement  was  to  receive  the  undivided  fire  from  the  forts  in  passing 
the  harbor  entrance  and  to  discharge  a  few  shots  at  one  of  the  destroyers, 
thought  at  that  moment  to  be  attempting  to  escape  from  the  "  Gloucester." 

The  Spanish  vessels,  upon  clearing  the  harbor,  turned  to  the  westward 
in  column,  increasing  their  speed  to  the  full  power  of  their  engines.  The 
heavy  blockading  vessels,  which  had  closed  in  toward  the  Morro  at  the 
instant  of  the  enemy's  appearance  and  at  their  best  speed,  delivered  a  rapid 
fire,  well  sustained  and  destructive,  which  speedily  overwhelmed  and  silenced 
the  Spanish  fire.  The  initial  speed  of  the  Spaniards  carried  them  rapidly 
past  the  blockading  vessels  and  the  battle  developed  into  a  chase,  in  whicb 
the  "  Brooklyn  "  and  "  Texas  "  had  at  the  start  the  advantage  of  position 


246  SHOT  AND   SHELL! 

The  "  Brooklyn "  maintained  this  lead.  The  "  Oregon,"  steaming  with 
amazing  speed  from  the  commencement  of  the  action,  took  first  place.  The 
"  Iowa  "  and  the  "  Indiana,"  having  done  good  work,  and  not  having  the 
speed  of  the  other  ships,  were  directed  by  me,  in  succession,  at  about  the 
time  the  "  Vizcaya "  was  beached,  to  drop  out  of  the  chase  and  resume 
blockading  stations.  These  vessels  rescued  many  prisoners.  The  "  Vixen," 
finding  that  the  rush  of  the  Spanish  ships  would  put  her  between  two  fires, 
ran  outside  of  our  own  column  and  remained  there  during  the  battle  and  chase. 
The  skillful  handling  and  gallant  fighting  of  the  "  Gloucester  "  excited 
the  admiration  of  every  one  who  witnessed  it  and  merits  the  commendation 
of  the  Navy  Department.  She  is  a  fast  and  entirely  nn- 
Protected  auxiliary  vessel— the  yacht  "  Corsair  "—and  has 
a  good  battery  of  light  rapid-fire  guns.  She  was  lying 
ab^ut  two  miles  from  the  harbor  entrance,  to  the  southward  and  eastward, 
and  immediately  steamed  in,  opening  fire  upon  the  large  ships.  Anticipat- 
ing the  appearance  of  the  "  Pluton  "  and  "  Furor,"  the  "  Gloucester  "  was 
slowed,  thereby  gaming  more  rapidly  a  high  pressure  of  steam,  and  when 
the  destroyers  came  out  she  ran  for  them  at  full  speed,  and  was  able  to 
close  to  short  range,  where  her  fire  -vyas  accurate,  deadly  and  of  great  value. 

During  this  fight  the  "  Gloucester  "  was  under  the  fire  of  the  Socapa 
battery.  Within  twenty  minutes  from  the  time  they  emerged  from  Santiago 
harbor  the  careers  of  the  "  Furor  "  and  "  Pluton  "  were  ended  and  two-thirds 
of  their  crews  killed.  The  "  Furor"  was  beached  and  sunk  in  the  surf; 
the  "  Pluton  "  sank  in  deep  water  a  few  minutes  later.  The  destroyers 
probably  suffered  much  injury  from  the  fire  of  the  secondary  batteries  of  the 
battleships  "  Iowa,"  "  Indiana  "  and  "  Texas,"  yet  I  think  a  very  considerable 
factor  in  their  speedy  destruction  was  the  fire,  at  close  range,  of  the  "  Glou- 
cester's "  battery.  After  rescuing  the  survivors  of  the  destroyers,  the  "  Glou- 
cester "  did  excellent  service  in  landing  and  rescuing  the  crew  of  the  "  In- 
fanta Maria  Teresa." 

The  method  of  escape  attempted  by  the  Spaniards,  all  steering  in  the 

same  direction  and  in  formation,  removed  all  tactical  doubts  or  difficulties, 

and  made  plain  the  duty  of  every  United  States  vessel  to 

End  of  the  "Teresa"    <  •          •  v    ,    ,  j  ^M  . 

and  "0  iiendo  "  c^ose  in»  immediately  engage  and  pursue.  This  was 
promptly  and  effectively  done.  As  already  stated,  the 
first  rush  of  the  Spanish  squadron  carried  it  past  a  number  of  the  blockad- 
ing ships,  which  could  not  immediately  work  up  to  their  best  speed  ;  but 
they  suffered  heavily  in  passing  ;  and  the  "  Infanta  Maria  Teresa  "  and  the 
"  Oquendo  "  were  probably  set  on  fire  by  shells  discharged  during  the  first 
fifteen  minutes  of  the  engagement.  It  was  afterward  learned  that  the 


SHOT  AND  SHELL  !  247 

"  Infanta  Maria  Teresa's  "  fire  main  had  been  cutoff  by  one  of  our  first  shots 
and  that  she  was  unable  to  extinguish  the  flames.  With  large  volumes  of 
smoke  rising  from  their  lower  decks  aft,  these  vessels  gave  us  both  fight 
and  flight,  and  ran  in  on  the  beach—  the  "  Infanta  Maria  Teresa  "  at  about  10.15 
arm.  ,  at  Nima  Nima,  six  and  one-half  miles  from  Santiago  harbor  entrance, 
and  the  "  Almirante  Oquendo  "  at  about  10.20  a.  m.,  at  Juan  Gonzales,  seven 
miles  from  the  port. 

The  "  Vizcaya  "  was  still  under  the  fire  of  the  leading  vessels  ;  the 
"  Cristobal  Colon  "  had  drawn  ahead,  leading  the  chase,  and  soon  passed 
beyond  the  range  of  the  guns  of  the  leading  American  ships.  The 
"Vizcaya"  was  soon  set  on  fire,  and  at  11.15  she  turned  in  shore  and  was 
beached  at  Asserradero,  fifteen  miles  from  Santiago,  burning  fiercely,  and 
with  her  reserves  of  ammunition  on  deck  already  beginning  to  explode. 
When  about  ten  miles  west  of  Santiago,  the  "  Indiana  "  had  been  signaled 
to  go  back  to  the  harbor  entrance,  and  at  Asserraderos  the  "  Iowa  "  was 
signaled  to  "  resume  blockading  station."  The  "  Iowa,"  assisted  by  the 
"  Ericsson  "  and  the  "  Hist,"  took  off  the  crew  of  the  "  Vizcaya,"  while  the 
"Harvard"  and  the  "Gloucester"  rescued  those  of  the  "Infanta  Maria 
Teresa  "  and  the  "  Almirante  Oquendo."  This  rescue  of  prisoners,  including 
the  wounded,  from  the  burning  Spanish  vessels,  was  the  occasion  of  some  of 
the  most  daring  and  gallant  conduct  of  the  day.  The  ships  were  burning 
fore  and  aft,  their  guns  and  reserve  ammunition  were  exploding,  and  it  was 
not  known  at  what  moment  the  fire  would  reach  the  main  magazines.  In 
addition  to  this  a  heavy  surf  was  running  just  inside  of  the  Spanish  ships. 
But  no  risk  deterred  our  officers  and  men  until  their  work  of  humanity  was 
complete. 

There  remained  now  of  the  Spanish  ships  only  the  "  Cristobal  Colon  ;" 
but  she  was  their  best  and  fastest  vessel.  Forced  by  the  situation  to  hug 
the  Cuban  coast,  her  only  chance  of  escape  was  by  superior 


and  sustained  speed.     When  the  "Vizcaya"  went  ashore  °W" 


the  "  Colon  "  was  about  six  miles  ahead  of  the  "  Brooklyn  " 
and  the  "  Oregon  ;"  but  her  spurt  was  finished  and  the  American  ships  were 
now  gaining  upon  her.  Behind  the  "  Brooklyn  "  and  the  "  Oregon  "  came 
the  "  Texas,"  "  Vixen  "  and  "  New  York."  It  was  evident  from  the  bridge 
of  the  "  New  York  "  that  all  the  American  ships  were  gradually  overhauling 
the  "  Colon  "  and  that  she  had  no  chance  of  escape.  At  fifty  minutes  past 
twelve  the  "Brooklyn"  and  the  "Oregon"  opened  fire  and  got  her  range,  the 
"  Oregon's  "  heavy  shell  striking  beyond  her,  and  at  1.20  she  gave  up  without 
firing  another  shot,  hauled  down  her  "colors  and  ran  ashore  at  Rio  Torquino, 
forty-eight  miles  from  Santiago.  Captain  Cook,  of  the  "  Brooklvn,"  went  on 


248  SHOT  AND  SHELL! 

board  to  receive  the  surrender.  While  his  boat  was  alongside  I  came  up  in 
the  "  New  York,"  received  his  report,  and  placed  the  "  Oregon  "  in  charge 
of  the  wreck  to  save  her,  if  possible,  and  directed  the  prisoners  to  be  trans- 
ferred to  the  "Resolute,"  which  had  followed  the  chase. 

Commodore  Schley,  whose  chief  of  staff  had  gone  on  board  to  receive 
the  surrender,  had  directed  that  all  their  personal  effects  should  be  retained 
by  the  officers.  This  order  I  did  not  modify.  The  "  Cristobal  Colon  "  was 
not  injured  by  our  firing,  and  was  probably  not  much  injured  by  beaching, 
though  she  ran  ashore  at  high  speed.  The  beach  was  so  steep  that  she  came 
off  by  the  working  of  the  sea.  But  her  sea  valves  were  opened  and  broken, 
treacherously,  I  am  sure,  after  her  surrender,  and  despite  all  efforts  she  sank. 
When  it  became  evident  that  she  could  not  be  kept  afloat,  she  was  pushed 
by  the  "  New  York  "  bodily  up  on  the  beach — the  "  New  York's  "  stern 
being  placed  against  her  for  this  purpose,  the  ship  being  handled  by  Captain 
Chad  wick  with  admirable  judgment — and  sank  in  shoal  water.  Had  this 
not  been  done  she  would  have  gone  down  in  deep  water,  and  would  have 
been,  to  a  certainty,  a  total  loss. 

I  regard  this  complete  and  important  victory  over  the  Spanish  forces  as 
the  successful  finish  of  several  weeks  of  arduous  and  close  blockade,  so 
stringent  and  effective  during  the  night  that  the  enemy  was  deterred  from 
making  the  attempt  to  escape  at  night,  and  deliberately  elected  to  make  the 
attempt  at  daylight.  That  this  was  the  case  I  was  informed  by  the  com- 
manding officer  of  the  "  Cristobal  Colon." 

It  seems  proper  to  briefly  describe  here  the  manner  in  which  this  was 
accomplished.  The  harbor  of  Santiago  is  naturally  easy  to  blockade,  there 

being-  but  one  entrance,  and  that  a  narrow  one  :  and   the 
Method  of  ,.  .        ,  .. 

Blockading         deep  water  extending  close  up  to  the  shore  line  presenting 

no  difficulties  of  navigation  outside  of  the  entrance.  At 
the  time  of  my  arrival  before  the  port,  June  i,  the  moon  was  at  its  full, 
and  there  was  sufficient  light  during  the  night  to  enable  any  movement  out- 
side of  the  entrance  t,o  be  detected  ;  but  with  the  waning  of  the  moon,  an$ 
the  coming  of  dark  nights,  there  was  opportunity  for  the  enemy  to  escape, 
or  for  his  torpedo  boats  to  make  an  attack  upon  the  blockading  vessels.  It 
was  ascertained,  with  fair  conclusiveness,  that  the  "  Merrimac,"  so  gallantly 
taken  into  the  channel  on  June  3,  did  not  obstruct  it. 

I  therefore  maintained  the  blockade  as  follows  :  To  the  battleships  was 
assigned  the  duty,  in  turn,  of  lighting  the  channel.  Moving  up  to  the  port, 
at  a  distance  of  from  one  to  two  miles  from  the  Morro — dependent  upon  the 
condition  of  the  atmosphere — they  threw  a  searchlight  beam  directly  up  the 
channel  and  held  it  steadily  there.  This  lightened  up  the  entire  breadth  of 


SHOT  AND  SHEW,  !  249 

the  channel  for  a  mile  inside  of  the  entrance  so  brilliantly  that  the  movement 
of  small  boats  could  be  detected.  Why  the  batteries  never  opened  fire  upon 
the  searchlight  ship  was  always  a  matter  of  surprise  to  me ;  but  they  never 
did.  Stationed  close  to  the  entrance  of  the  port  were  three  picket  launches, 
and  at  a  little  distance  further  qut,  three  small  picket  vessels — usually  con- 
verted yachts — and,  when  they  were  available,  one  or  two  of  our  torpedo 
boats.  With  this  arrangement  there  was  at  least  a  certainty  that  nothing 
could  get  out  of  the  harbor  undetected. 

After  the  arrival  of  the  army,  when  the  situation  forced  upon  the  Span- 
ish admiral  a  decision,  our  vigilance  increased.  The  night  blockading  dis- 
tance was  reduced  to  two  miles  for  all  vessels,  and  a  battleship  was  placed 
alongside  the  searchlight  ship,  with  her  broadside  trained  upon  the  channel 
in  readiness  to  fire  the  instant  a  Spanish  ship  should  appear.  The  com- 
manding officers  merit  the  greatest  praise  for  the  perfect  manner  in  which 
they  entered  into  this  plan  and  put  it  into  execution.  The  "  Massachusetts," 
which  according  to  routine  was  sent  that  morning  to  coal  at  Guantanamo, 
like  the  others,  had  spent  weary  nights  upon  this  work,  deserved  a  better 
fate  than  to  be  absent  that  morning. 

When  all  the  work  was  done  so  well  it  is  difficult  to  discriminate  in 
praise.  The  object  of  the  blockade  of  Cervera's  squadron  was  fully  accom- 
plished, and  each  individual  bore  well  his  part  in  it — the  commodore  in  com- 
mand of  the  second  division,  the  captains  of  ships,  their  officers  and  men. 
The  fire  of  the  battleships  was  powerful  and  destructive,  and  the  resistance 
of  the  Spanish  squadron  was,  in  great  part,  broken  almost  before  they  had 
got  beyond  the  range  of  their  own  forts.  The  fine  speed  of  the  "  Oregon  " 
enabled  her  to  take  a  front  position  in  the  chase,  and  the  "  Cristobal  Colon  " 
did  not  give  up  until  the  "  Oregon  "  had  thrown  a  13-inch  shell  beyond  her. 

This  performance  adds  to  the  already  brilliant  record  of  this  fine  battle- 
ship, and  speaks  highly  of  the  skill  and  care  with  which  her  admirable 
efficiency  has  been  maintained  during  a  service  unprece- 
dented   in   the    history  of    vessels    of    her   class.       The    Brilliant  Record. 
"  Brooklyn's  "  westerly  blockading  position  gave  her  an 
advantage  in  the  chase,  which  she  maintained  to  the  end,  and  she  employed 
her  fine  battery  with  telling  effect.     The  "  Texas  "  and  the  "  New  York  " 
were  gaining  on   the  chase  during  the  last  hour,  and  had  any  accident 
befallen  the  "  Brooklyn  "  or  the  "  Oregon,"  would  have  speedily  overhauled 
the  "Cristobal  Colon." 

From  the  moment  the  Spanish  vessel  exhausted  her  first  burst  of  speed 
the  result  was  never  in  doubt.  She  fell,  in  fact,  far  below  what  might 
reasonably  have  been  expected  of  her.  Careful  measurements  of  time  and 


250  SHOT   AND  SHELL! 

distance  gave  her  an  average  speed  from  the  time  she  cleared  the  harbor 
mouth  until  the  time  she  run  on  shore  at  Rio  Tarquino  of  13.7  knots. 
Neither  the  "  New  York  "  nor  the  "  Brooklyn  "  stopped  to  couple  up  their 
forward  engines,  but  ran  out  the  chase  with  one  pair,  getting  steam,  of 
course,  as  rapidly  as  possible  onfall  boilers.  To  stop  to  couple  up  the  forward 
engines  would  have  meant  a  delay  of  fifteen  minutes,  or  four  miles,  in  the 
chase. 

Several  of  the  ships  were  struck,  the  "  Brooklyn  "  more  frequently  than 
the  others,  but  very  slight  material  injury  was  done,  the  greatest  being  aboard 
the  "  Iowa."  Our  loss  was  one  man  killed  and  one  wounded,  both  on  the 
"  Brooklyn."  It  is  difficult  to  explain  this  immunity  from  loss  of  life  or 
injury  to  ships  in  a  combat  with  modern  vessels  of  the  best  type,  but 
Spanish  gunnery  is  poor  at  best,  and  the  superior  weight  and  accuracy  of 
our  fire  speedily  drove  the  men  from  their  guns  and  silenced  their  fire.  This 
is  borne  out  by  the  statements  of  prisoners  and  by  observation.  The  Spanish 
vessels,  as  they  dashed  out  of  the  harbor,  were  covered  with  the  smoke  from 
their  own  guns,  but  this  speedily  diminished  in  volume  and  soon  almost 
disappeared. 

The  fire  from  the  rapid-fire  batteries  of  the  battleships  appears  to  have 
been  remarkably  destructive.  An  examination  of  the  stranded  vessels 
showed  that  the  "Almirante  Oquendo,"  especially,  had  suffered  terribly  from 
this  fire.  Her  sides  were  everywhere  pierced  and  her  decks  were  strewn 
with  the  charred  remains  of  those  who  had  fallen,  but  the  other  Spanish 
vessels  suffered  almost  equally,  thus  proving  the  great  efficiency  and  accuracy 
of  the  American  guns  and  the  skill  of  American  sailors  in  handling  them. 


LIFE  AMONG  THE   PHILIPPINES.  251 

LIFE  AMONG  THE  PHILIPPINES. 

BY  DEAN  C.  WORCESTER, 

{Member  of  the  Philippine  Commission.'] 

THE  insurrection  headed  by  Aguinaldo  in  the  Philippine  Islands  hav- 
ing assumed  proportions  far  beyond  general  expectation,  with  a 
possibility  that  it  may  not  be  speedily  suppressed,  interest  naturally 
now  centres  in  the  character  of  the  population  which  has  come 
under  the  guardianship  of  the  United  States  and  in  the  opportunities  which 
the  occupation  of  this  large  and  valuable  territory  offers  to  American  enter- 
prise. The  McEnery  resolution,  passed  by  a  small  majority  of  the  United 
States  Senate, — the  vote  in  its  favor  being  less  than  one-third  of  a  full 
Senate, — would  have  been  much  more  important  in  its  influence  on  the 
future  course  of  the  United  States,  but  for  Aguinaldo's  attack  upon  our 
army  at  Manila.  Had  the  Philippine  insurgents  yielded  to  American 
authority  peacefully,  after  the  passage  of  such  a  resolution  by  the  Senate, 
they  might  have  claimed  that  it  was,  in  a  certain  sense,  a  guarantee  of 
independence  for  the  Philippines.  As  it  is,  the  resolution  amounts  only  to  a 
declaration  of  policy,  without  any  binding  force  upon  the  United  States 
government. 

The  people  of  the  Philippine  Islands  are  not  all  savages.  The  majority 
are  semi-civilized,  a  few  are  civilized  in  the  full  meaning  of  that  term,  and  a 
considerable  number  are  still  in  a  savage  state.  Nor  are 

the    civilized  confined  to  the  island  of  Luzon,  on  which 

Savages. 

Manila  is  situated,  for  influences  of  considerable  political 
and  social  development  are  to  be  seen  in  sections  of  all  the  five  largest 
islands  of  the  group.  In  my  tour  of  the  islands  I  visited  the  somewhat 
remote  town  of  Damaguite,  in  southern  Negros,  which  to  my  surprise  I 
found  to  be  a  typical  Visayan  place  of  the  better  class.  Its  shops  are  kept 
by  Chinese  merchants.  The  population,  numbering,  perhaps,  eight  thousand 
souls,  is  composed  chiefly  of  natives,  with  comparatively  few  half-breeds,  and 
still  fewer  Spaniards.  The  soil  near  the  town  is  fertile,  and  the  people 
seemed  prosperous.  The  public  buildings  are  more  than  ordinarily  impos- 
ing. The  church  and  a  convent,  or  priest's  house,  are  in  excellent  repair, 
and  the  population  generally  seemed  happy  and  contented,  although  instances 
of  the  most  cruel  oppression  on  the  part  of  the  Spanish  rulers  were  fre- 
quently witnessed.  Living  costs  little.  The  average  Visayan  with  a 


25-2  LIFE   AMONG  THE   PHILIPPINES. 

couple  of  bushels  of  shelled  corn,  or  a  measure  of  rice  in  the  house,  and  a 
bit  of  dried  fish  for  dessert,  wisely  lies  on  the  floor,  smokes  his  cigarette, 
thrums  his  guitar,  and  composes  extemporary  songs  on  current  events.  His 
wife  does  the  cooking  and  brings  the  water..  When  the  provisions  give  out, 
it  will  be  quite  soon  enough  to  look  for  more. 

The  savages  on  the  island  of  Negros  may  be  described  as  good-natured 

people,  who  do  no  harm  to  others  when  they  have  no  reason  to  fear  harm  to 

themselves.      The  Spaniards    had  been  in  the  habit  of 

e     c     s  an       shooting:  them,  merely  for  amusement,  and   the  so-called 
of  Negros. 

savages  naturally  resented  this  treatment.     Negros,  which  is 

4,670  square  miles  in  area,  is  probably  the  richest  island  of  its  size  in  the 
archipelago.  The  fertile  lowlands  along  the  coast  are  extensively  cultivated, 
although  much  good  land  still  lies  idle,  and  offers  an  opportunity  to  Ameri- 
can settlers  who  have  capital  to  invest  in  planting,  and  taste  and  health  for 
that  line  of  business  in  the  hot  climate  of  the  Philippines.  Fine  tobacco  is 
grown  on  some  plantations,  but  sugar  is  the  most  important  crop. 

It  is  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  all  Philippine  towns  are  dirty.  In  this 
respect,  some  of  them  are  considerably  superior  to  Cuba.  Zamboanga,  on 
the  island  of  Mindanao,  one  of  the  oldest  Spanish  settlements,  is  large  and 
clean.  It  has  a  pier  extending  out  to  moderately  deep  water,  though  large 
vessels  have  to  lie  some  distance  offshore.  Spanish  extortion  has  driven 
commerce  from  Zamboanga,  but  under  good  American  government  Australian 
and  other  vessels  will  no  doubt  call  there  again,  as  in  former  times. 

The  manner  in  which  the  Spaniards  have  treated  the  natives  was  illus- 
trated during  "my  stay  at  Zamboanga.  There  was  a  gray-haired  old  fellow 
about  the  hotel,  who  did  some  work  in  the  stables.  He 

chanced  to  pass  through  a  room  in  which  I  was  sittmg-,  in 
Spanish  Cruelty. 

company  with  several  Spanish  officers,  and  one  of  the 
latter  ordered  him  to  bring  a  drink.  Although  he  was  not  a  waiter,  he  set 
off  on  the  errand  ;  but  he  was  old  and  slow,  and,  when  he  returned,  the  officer 
became  angry  because  he  had  been  gone  so  long,  knocked  him  down,  and 
kicked  him  in  the  ribs.  I  found  the  victim,  later,  dying  in  a  manger. 

It  may  be  mentioned  here,  that  the  chief  Spanish  official  at  Concepcion, 
on  the  Island  of  Panay,  caused  delinquent  taxpayers  to  be  caught  and  tied 
to  trees.  Vicious  dogs  were  then  set  upon  the  victims,  and  encouraged  to 
worry  them.  The  same  official  ordered  the  natives  to  concentrate  in  the 
towns,  and  made  a  practice  of  riding  about  the  country  and  burning  the 
huts  of  those  who  failed  to  heed  his  command. 

Mindanao  is  next  in  importance  to,  and  nearly  as  large  as  Luzon.  It  is 
probable  that,  notwithstanding  the  victories  gained  in  Luzon,  the  Island  of 


AMONG  THE  PHILIPPINES.  253 

Mindanao  will  witness  prolonged  difficulty  in  the  establishment  of  American 
authority.  The  reason  is  that  the  Spaniards  have  held  only  small  strips  of 
the  coast,  while  the  remainder  is  inhabited  largely  by  pagan  and  Mohamme- 
dan tribes.  When  General  Weyler  commanded  in  the  Philippines,  he  sent 
an  expedition  against  the  Mohammedans.  The  Spaniards  marched  into  the 
forests  of  Mindanao,  the  enemy  retreating  before  them.  Fever  and  starvation 
disabled  80  per  cent  of  the  Spaniards,  and  the  mortality  was  terrible. 
Weyler  remained  safe  on  a  dispatch  boat,  while  his  troops  were  perishing, 
and  sent  messages  to  Manila,  announcing  glorious  victories. 

These  tribes  remain  unsubdued,  and  as  most  of  them  probably  know  no 
difference  between  a  Spaniard  and  an  American,  it  is  likely  that  trouble  will 
be  encountered  in  bringing  them  to  a  recognition  of 

A  •  mi  •  r  TTT      1      ,  MI       Tribes  That  are 

American  power.  The  experience  of  vveylers  troops  will  stn,  Unsijbd 
be  a  valuable  lesson  for  American  military  commanders, 
and  may  prevent  the  loss  of  many  American  lives.  Mindanao  is  an  island 
well  worthy,  however,  of  being  rescued  from  the  control  of  non-producing 
savages.  The  soil,  especially  in  the  river  and  lake  regions,  is  remarkably 
productive.  L,ittle  is  known  of  the  mineral  wealth,  but  it  is  certain  that 
gold  exists  in  paying  quantities  at  a  number  of  points.  Diggings  have  long 
been  worked  by  the  natives  near  Misamis  and  Surigao.  The  scenery  of 
Mindanao,  also,  "is  very  fine.  The  largest  known  flower,  measuring  three 
feet  in  diameter,  has  been  discovered  there.  There  are  several  active 
volcanoes  on  the  island.  Extensive  areas  are  covered  with  magnificent  trees, 
and  apart  from  the  valuable  forest  products  which  Mindanao  has  in  common 
with  several  of  the  other  islands,  gutta-percha  is  abundant  in  certain 
localities.  The  island  is  well  watered,  and  its  rivers  are  mote  important 
than  those  of  L,uzon.  Such  is  the  rich  territory  which,  although  nominally 
possessed  by  the  Spaniards  for  hundreds  of  years,  is  as  free  from  civilized 
control  as  were  the  forests  of  Yucatan  when  Cortez  landed  on  the  Mexican 
coast.  The  presence  of  precious  metals  in  the  interior  will  certainly  insure 
a  large  immigration  of  the  same  adventurous  class  that  invaded  California  in 
1849,  and  aroused  the  land  of  gold  from  its  siesta  of  centuries. 

When  the  natives  of  the  Philippines  shall  have  been  won  over  to  the 
peaceable  acceptance  of  American  supremacy,  they  will,  according  to  trust- 
worthy opinion,  prove  useful  and  faithful  friends  of  the 
United  States.     One  great  need  of  the  Philippine  natives         islanders 
is  education.     The  savages  are,  of   course,   without  any 
literary  training  at  all.     The  education  of  the  semi-civilized  natives  consists 
of  a  little  catechism  and  a  few  prayers,  which  they  learn  in  their  own  dialect. 
The  more  fortunate  get  some  knowledge  of  writing  and  arithmetic,  withs 


254  THE    FILIPINO   INSURRECTION. 

possibly,  a  smattering  of  Spanish.  Public  school  training  will  undoubtedly 
form  part  of  the  program  of  an  American  administration,  and  there  is  every 
reason  to  believe  that  it  will  have  a  redeeming  and  improving  influence  on 
the  plastic  native  character. 


THE  FILIPINO  INSURRECTION. 


The  White  Man's  Burden  in  the  Islands  of  the  Orient,  Where  Our 

Flag  Has  Been  Planted. 

BY  A  MEMBER  OF  THE  PHILIPPINE  COMMISSION. 

/ 

WHEN  the  Filipino  insurgents  fired  on  the  American  outposts  at 
Manila,  February  4,  1899,  that  hostile  act  forced  the  United 
States  to  take  up  the  "White  Man's  Burden,"  placing  upon  us, 
as  it  did,  a  mighty  responsibility,  which  we  cannot  with  honor 
•escape.     Another  war  has  been  thus  imposed  without  our  seeking,  in  the 
prosecution  of  which  our  soldiers  and  sailors,  our  troop,  war  and  supply 
ships  are  girdling  the  earth  and  sailing  on  every  sea. 

The  United  States  has  become  an  active  world  power  so  suddenly  that 

many  citizens  do  not  yet  realize  all  that  has  happened.     A  few  plain  facts 

will  aid  them.     We  are  now  maintaining  more  soldiers 

Our  Ships  and  Sol-  outsjde  of  our  own  borders  than  any  country  except  Eng- 
diers  at  Manila. 

land.  This  nation  has  now  60,000  troops  m  the  Philip- 
pines, Cuba  and  Porto  Rico,  or  on  the  way  thither.  England  keeps  76,995 
British  soldiers  in  India  and  38,522  in  her  coionies.  France  and  Germany, 
which  are  the  chief  colonial  powers  after  England,  defend  their  colonies 
chiefly  by  means  of  native  levies,  and  the  numbers  of  soldiers  sent  from  the 
home  countries  do  not  compare  with  those  of  England  and  the  United  States. 
General  Lawton,  our  best  available  fighting  man,  has  been  sent  to  the 
Philippines  to  end  the  war  there.  General  Otis  will  then  become  Governor. 
There  are  now  about  18,000  American  soldiers  in  the  Philippines,  and 
recently  three  ships  carried  6,000  more,  so  that  General  Lawton  will  have 
24,000  men  under  him ;  and  it  is  the  purpose  of  the  Administration  to 
increase  this  force  to  41,000  inen. 


THE   FILIPINO  INSURRECTION.  255 

Admiral  Dewey  has  twenty-three  righting  ships  under  him  and  more 
than  four  thousand  officers  and  men.  Here  is  a  list  of  his  ships,  prepared 
by  ,the  Navy  Department  March  i  : 

Vessels.                                                                           Officers.  Men.  Marines. 

Baltimore 36  275  36 

Bennington 16  163  18 

Boston 19  237  33 

Buffalo 17  230  25 

Callao 10  25 

Castine n  130  12 

Charleston 20  250  36 

Concord 13  163  18 

Culgoa 10  40 

Don  Juan  de  Austria 10  in  — 

Helena 10  151  15 

Isla  de  Luzon —  7  — 

Isla  de  Cuba 10  129  — 

Manila f  .    .    .   .  n  56  — 

Monadnock 26  175  — 

Monocacy 12  129  18 

Monterey 19  187 

Olympia 34  377  36 

Petrel 10  112 

Princeton II  114  12 

Yorktown 14  163  18 

Solace      10  125  27 

Total 329  3,359  304 

The  "  Oregon  "  will  add  32  officers,  402  men  and  60  marines,  and  the 
"Iris"  5  officers  and  93  men.  The  "Buffalo"  took  out  several  hundred, 
but  these  f  do  not  affect  the  total,  as  her  passengers  were  to  replace  men  whose 
terms  of  enlistment  had  expired,  and  who  wanted  to  return  to  this  country. 
The  American  flag,  for  many  years  a  rarity  on  distant  seas,  has  become  a 
familiar  sight  at  all  the  stations  on  the  world's  great  ocean  routes. 

At  Gibraltar,  Malta,  Port  Said,  Suez,  Perim,  Colombo,  Singapore,  at 
Honolulu,  at  Apia,  at  Yokohoma  and  Hong  Kong,  the 

Stars  and  Stripes  and  the  blue  uniforms  of  American  sol-  , 

Around  the  World. 

diers  and  sailors  are  now  looked  for. 

In  the  procession  from  New  York  to  the  eastward  there  have  gone  out 
the  armed  transports  "  Grant "  (with  General  Lawton  on  board),  "  Sherman  " 
and  "Sheridan,"  the  gunboats  "Princeton,"  "Castine"  and  "Helena,"  and 
the  armed  auxiliaries  "  Solace  "  and  "  Buffalo." 

At  this  writing  (March  10,  1899),  the  "Buffalo"  and  "Helena"  have 
reached  Manila.  The  "  Sheridan  "  is  near  Gibraltar,  the  "  Sherman  "  is  in 
the  Red  Sea,  the  "  Grant "  well  on  her  way  across  the  great  gulf  of  the 


,{56  THK  FILIPINO  INSURRECTION. 

Indian  Ocean,  having  coaled  at  Colombo,  Island  of  Ceylon,  off  the  coast  of 
India.  The  "  Solace,"  the  "Princeton"  and  the  "  Castine "  have  passed 
through  the  Suez  Canal  from  Port  Said.  The  "  Yosemite  "  and  "  Abarenda," 
bound  for  the  far  Pacific  by  the  same  route,  are  about  to  leave  the  Norfolk 
Navy  Yard,  and  will  fall  in  after  the  other  vessels  in  the  12,000  mile-long 
procession.  The  auxiliary  cruiser  "  Badger "  is  also  on  her  way  to  the 
Pacific  from  the  Atlantic,  but  is  going  by  way  of  the  Straits  of  Magellan. 

Out  from  the  Golden  Gate  at  San  Francisco  there  has  passed  another 
procession  of  fighting  ships  bound  for  the  same  destination  as  those  sailing 
along  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  globe.  The  path  across  the  Pacific  may 
now  be  said  to  be  "well  worn,"  for  across  it  have  passed  nearly  all  the 
vessels  now  at  Manila,  including  the  cruisers  "  Baltimore,"  "  Charleston," 
"  Olyrnpia,"  "  Boston,"  "  Concord,"  the  gunboat  "  Petrel,"  the  monitors 
"  Monterey  "  and  "  Monadnock." 

The  two  second-class  cruisers  "  Bennington  "  and  "  Yorktown,"  sister 
ships  of  the  "  Concord,"  have  only  just  completed  the  long  voyage  by  way 
of  Honolulu  and  Guam,  and  the  Pacific  is  still  freighted  with  our  regiments, 
bound  for  Manila,  and  our  cruisers  and  gunboats  protecting  our  interests, 
now  for  the  first  time  of  great  importance,  in  the  widely  scattered  islands  of 
that  ocean.  t 

The  big  battleship  "  Oregon,"  for  which  Dewey  cabled,  is  plough- 
ing her  way  to  the  westward  from  Hawaii,  on  a  long  run  which  promises  to 
give  her  another  record  as  creditable  as  the  one  she  made  on  her  famous 
voyage  around  the  Horn.  At  Honolulu,  or  near  there,  is  the  gunboat 
"  Iroquois."  Following  the  "  Oregon  "  are  the  big  armed  colliers  "  Brutus," 
"Nero"  and  "  Scindia,"  and  the  distilling  ship  "  Iris,"  forming  a  veritable 
armada,  of  which  the  "  Oregon  "  is  the  mountain  of  strength.  The  auxiliary 
and  supply  vessel  "  Celtic,"  which  left  San  Francisco  on  February  18,  cannot 
be  far  behind. 

On  the  armed  transports  "  Ohio,"  "  Scandia  "  and  "  Senator,"  which  are 
now  nearly  three  weeks  out  from  San  Francisco,  are  nearly  4,000  soldiers  of 
our  regular  army,  who  will  find  a  hearty  welcome  from  General  Otis  on  the 
completion  of  their  voyage,  about  March  15,  if  all  goes  well. 

It  has  been  pointed  out  how  great  a  force  of  American  soldiers  is  now 
maintained  outside  of  the  country.  It  is  out  of  proportion  to  the  forces 
maintained  by  other  colonial  powers.  The  system  of  raising  native  troops 
followed  by  those  powers  will  have  to  be  adopted  by  the  United  States.  An 
officer  of  the  Bureau  of  Military  Intelligence  at  Washington  has  prepared 
a  statement  on  the  probable  methods  of  organizing  native  troops. 


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THE  CRUISER  "BROOKLYN"  CAPTURING  A  SPANISH   SAILING  VESSEL. 


WELCOMING  THE  RETURN  OF  OUR  VICTORIOUS  FLEET  AT  NEW  YORK, 

AUGUST  20,   1898. 


Copyright,  1808,  by  the  Woolfall  Company.  From  the  original  drawing  by  J.  Steeple  Davis 

OPENING  OF  THE  BATTLE  AT  LAS  GUASIMAS. 


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THE   FILIPINO  INSURRECTION.  253 

The  question  of  recruiting  native  West  Indians  and  Filipinos  into  our 
rrmy  service  abroad  is  at  present  a  very  live  one  with  the  military  authori- 
ties, who,  with  tables  and  plans,  must  anticipate  in  a  mea- 

1     11      t       •   1    ,•  «•..'•  ,1  How  We  Shall 

sure  any  probable  legislation  affecting  the  army  in  these       Rajse  Native 
times  of  lightning  transformation.  Troops. 

England's  task  in  raising  an  army  in  India  was  some- 
what similar  to  that  which  is  about  to  face  us  in  our  colonial  possessions, 
for,  though  India  is  one  country,  while  we  have  to  do  with  peoples  of  various 
islands,  widely  separated,  it  is  such  a  vast  stretch  that  its  army  had  to  be 
organized  under  three  heads — Madras,  Bengal  and  Bombay — as  ours  would 
be  divided  into  a  Porto  Rican,  a  Cuban  and  a  Philippine  army.  In  Porto 
Rico  a  native  army  \yould  be  a  simple  affair.  The  inhabitants  of  that  little 
island  are  peace-loving  and  indifferent  to  revolutions,  and  would  be  easily 
moulded  by  good  officers  into  a  satisfactory  and  reliable  bodyx  of  rural 
guards.  Firmness,  tempered  with  kindness  and  justice,  would  be  the  chief 
factor  of  success.  Cuba  would  be  more  difficult.  The  Cubans  have  had 
experience  in  fighting  as  members  of  the  Cuban  army,  and  their  phenome- 
nal success  through  happy-go-lucky  methods  has  given  them  a  high  idea  of 
their  abilities  as  soldiers,  and,  therefore,  they  will  not  be  so  amenable  to  dis- 
cipline, probably,  and  will  not  accept  without  question  and  grumbling  a 
new  system  of  tactics  so  entirely  at  variance  with  their  own. 

The  Filipinos  present  such  a  difficult  problem  that  it  is  hard  to  prophecy 
what  success  will  come  from  our  efforts  to  form  a  native  force.  The  three 
principal  tribes,  scattered  over  the  twelve  hundred  islands,  are  the  Tagals, 
Visayans  and  Igorrotes,  each  totally  different  and  sworn  enemies  for  genera- 
tions. Less  promising  material  out  of  which  to  form  good  troops  would  be 
difficult  to  imagine  at  a  first  glance,  but  their  very  faults  might,  under  wise 
administration,  be  transformed  into  soldierly  qualities. 

Their  bravery,  amounting  to  cruelty  and  ferocity  under  Spanish  influ- 
ence, might  be  developed  into  the  courage  of  civilized  nations,  and  the 
fatalism  of  their  Asiatic  neighbors,  the  Mohammedans,  which  seems  to  have 
a  place  in  their  character,  with  its  doctrine  of  "  What  is  to  be  will  be," 
necessarily  makes  them  indifferent  to  death.  They  are  essentially  crafty, 
but  that  is  their  misfortune  rather  than  their  fault,  due  to  Spain's  policy  of 
suppression  and  oppression. 

An  eminent  authority  on  the  native  troops  of  India  has  said  that,  with- 
out English  officers,  they  are  of  little  value,  and  the  metaphor  suggested  by 
Sir  Colin  Campbell  and  quoted  by  Dr.  Russell  in  speaking  of  the  general 
relation  of  the  European  to  the  native  soldier  of  India,  would  seem  as  appli- 
cable to  this  opinion  as  to  the  Filipinos  and  to  ourselves.  "  Take  a  bamboo 
17 


258  THE   FILIPINO  INSURRECTION. 

and  cast'it  against  a  tree,  the  shaft  will  rebound  and  fall  harmless ;  tip  it 
with  steel  and  it  becomes  a  spear  which  will  pierce  deep  and  kill.  The 
bamboo  is  the  Asiatic  and  the  steel  point  is  the  European." 

One  lesson  learned  from  the  terrible  Sepoy  mutiny  seems  to  be  that  it  is 

better  to  make  cavalry  and  infantry  out  of   native  troops  who  cannot  be 

trusted  implicitly  than  to  give  into  their  hands  unlimited 

°  Natives'  artillery.  Before  1857  the  native  Indian  army  had  248 
field  guns  and  348,000  troops,  as  against  38,000  European 
troops,  with  276  guns.  At  the  present  time  the  proportion  is  quite  different 
The  European  troops  are  strong  in  artillery  and  the  natives  strong  in  infantry 
and  cavalry.  In  artillery',  the  English  have  12,306  men  and  370  guns,  against 
the  natives  with  896  men  and  36  guns ;  while  the  native  infantry  is  over 
twice  as  large  and  the  cavalry  four  times  as  large  as  the  European  cavalry 
and  infantry. 

In  the  Philippines,  cavalry  would  hardly  be  worth  considering,  the  con- 
ditions of  the  country  being  such  that  horses  are  a  hindrance  rather  than  a 
help.  Light  artillery  and  Gatling  guns  will  be  the  only  part  of  the 
artillery  arm  used  for  the  present.  The  native  troops  of  India  were  made  to 
use  the  musket  to  a  certain  extent,  though  they  remained  armed  in  the 
fashion  of  the  country,  as  a  general  rule,  with  sword  and  lance.  Probably 
the  Filipinos  would  be  given  rifles,  though  of  an  inferior  make  to  those 
used  by  the  American  army — Springfields,  presumably. 

Most  of  the  natives  of  the  Philippines  know  the  use  of  a  musket,  but 
their  tactics  are  so  totally  different  from  ours  that  it  would  be  necessary  for 
them  to  go  through  a  process  of  unlearning  before  they  could  be  taught  our 
methods.  The  question  of  uniform  would  be  more  easily  solved  than  any 
other,  as  it  is  the  one  thing  in  which  we  could  follow  Spain's  example. 
Her  colonial  uniform  was  inexpensive,  and  suited  to  the  climate,  being  made 
of  a  material  light  in  quality,  though  sufficiently  dark  in  color  to  keep  some 
semblance  of  cleanliness.  The  English  colonial  uniform  is  the  khaki  worn 
by  our  troops  in  the  late  war,  but  the  Spanish  uniform  seems  cooler,  lighter 
ana  cleaner. 

England  can  again  help  us  in  the  question  of  feeding  a  native  army,  for 
the  Sepoys  live  on  rice,  which  is  the  great  food  product  in  India  as  well  as  in 
the  Philippines,  although  in  the  latter  the  supply  does  not  always  equal  the 
demand.  Sweet  potatoes  and  ground  nuts,  and  occasionally  peas  and 
potatoes,  are  also  grown  in  the  islands,  and  even  wheat  in  the  higher 
regions.  From  these  simple  elements  we  will  form  an  inexpensive  and 
satisfactory  ration,  meat  not  figuring  to  any  extent. 


THE   FILIPINO   INSURRECTION.  259 

The  project  of  forming  the  natives  of  our  new  islands  into  a  force  to 
garrison  them  seems  so  reasonable  and  feasible  that  it  is  sure  to  succeed  with 
the  genius  of  America  behind  it,  and  a  half  century  of  European  experience 
as  a  valuable  lesson.  We  can  profit  enormously  from  Great  Britain's  mistakes 
in  India  and  the  most  important  and  never-to-be-forgotten  lesson  of  the  Sepoy 
rebellion — that  native  troops  should  be  officered  by  Americans,  and  the 
American  and  native  troops  amalgamated  with  our  regular  soldiers  in  such  a 
manner  that  the  horrible  experience  of  1857  can  never  be  duplicated. 

Our  task  is  less  complicated  than  England's  in  one  great  respect — that 
of  the  absence  of  caste  in  the  inhabitants  of  Cuba,  Porto  Rico  or  the  Philip- 
pines. Some  of  the  most  direct  causes  of  the  Indian  mutiny  came  from  the 
terror  on  the  part  of  the'  Hindoos  that  their  caste  prejudices  were  to  be 
interfered  with.  Possibly  some  time  will  elapse  in  the  Philippines  before 
the  inhabitants  will  consent  to  enlist  under  our  flag,  but  in  Cuba  and  Porto 
Rico — especially  in  the  latter — the  plan  seems  simple  enough,  and  the 
advantages  manifold. 

Great  care  should  be  taken,  however,  in  the  selection  of  recruits.  They 
should  be  chosen  not  so  much  on  account  of  their  size  and  appearance  as  for 
their  intelligence  and  promise,  careful  attention  being  given  to  their  past 
records  as  far  as  possible.  At  first  the  native  army  in  India  was  recruited 
only  from  the  hi'gh-caste  Hindoos  and  Mohammedans,  and  as  soon  as  the 
lines  were  relaxed  and  men  of  lower  castes  and  classes  were  allowed  to 
come  in,  the  entire  army  deteriorated. 

According  to  a  plan  already  outlined  by  the  military  authorities,  the 
recruiting  will  be  done  at  Manila,  and  each  man's  record  will  be  carefully 
examined,  so  that  no  brigands  or  murderers  get  in.     At 
first  only  a  fourth  of  a  company  will  be  natives  and  three-       a"  °     e*rt 
fourths  American  regulars.     After  a  while  the  bulk  of  the 
company  will  be  natives,  except  the  captain,  two  lieutenants,  ten  sergeants 
and  fifteen  corporals.     By  attention  to  duty  a  native  will  be  able  to  become 
a  non-commissioned  officer. 

The  Philippines  are  a  vast  domain,  and  an  intelligent  man  might  spend 
a  lifetime  in  studying  them.  The  population  of  the  Philippines  is  roughly 
estimated  at  8,000,000.  There  are  more  than  eighty  distinct  tribes  of 
natives,  each  with  its  own  very  marked  peculiarities.  The  number  oi 
islands  is  estimated  at  1,200.  Hundreds  of  these  are  practically  unexplored 
by  white  men.  There  is  no  regular  communication  with  them. 

The  islands  extend  from  4  deg.  45  min.  to  21  deg.  north  latitude. 
They  are  wholly  within  the  tropics.  The  mean  annual  temperature  at 
Manila  is  80  deg.  Fahrenheit.  There  is  no  month  of  the  year  in  which  it 


THE   FILIPINO   INSURRECTION. 


does  not  rise  above  91  degrees.  Malaria  is  very  prevalent  in  some  of  the 
islands,  notably  in  Mindoro,  Balabac  and  portions  of  Palawan,  Mindanao  and 
Luzon  ;  but  there  are  many  localities  entirely  free  from  it. 

Malaria  and  bowel  complaints  are  the  most  serious  diseases  for  Ameri- 
cans in  the  Philippines.     Smallpox  is  always  prevalent  in  the  islands,  but 
as  nearly  all  the  natives  have  it  in  childhood  there  is  no 
material  for  an  epidemic.     Cholera  is  infrequent,  but  when 


Information  About 
the  Philippines. 


it  has  broken  out  has  never  been  checked.  Leprosy  occurs, 
but  is  not  common.  There  is  a  great  deal  of  beri-beri  in  Balabac  and  Min- 
doro. 

The  civilized  natives  are  nominally  Roman  Catholics.  The  Franciscan, 
Dominican,  Austin  and  Recoleto  friars  own  nearly  all  the  cultivated  land  on 
the  islands. 

Manila,  a  city  of  150,000  inhabitants  and  capital  of  the  Island  of  Luzon, 
is  celebrated  for  its  earthquakes.  In  that  of  1863,  400  people  were  killed, 
2,000  wounded,  and  forty-six  public  buildings  and  1,100  private  houses 
destroyed.  Other  great  earthquakes  occurred  in  1610,  1645,  J658,  1675, 
1699,  1796,  1852  and  1880.  In  1645,  600  people  were  killed.  On  account 
of  the  earthquakes,  houses  are  not  built  more  than  two  stories  high. 
Galvanized  iron  is  in  great  demand  for  roofs.  Glass  is  not  employed  to 
any  extent  in  windows,  its  place  being  taken  by  little  squares  of  translucent 
oyster  shell. 

Iloilo,  the  second  largest  city  of  the  islands  and  capital  of  Panay,  has 
just  been  taken  by  our  troops.  The  gunboat  "  Petrel "  hoisted  our  flag 
without  hindrance  on  the  important  Island  of  Cebu,  in  the  Visayas  group 
and  the  Island  of  Negros  has  sent  in  its  submission. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  larger  islands,  with  their  areas  in  square 
miles : 


Luzon 41,000 

Mindanao 37, 50° 

Samar 5, 300 

Panay 4,600 

Palawan 4,150 

Mindoro 4,040 


Leyte 3,090 

Negros 2,300 

Cebu 1,650 

Masbate I,3I5 

Bohol 925 

Cantanduanes 450 


The  total  land  area  is  approximately  114,000  square  miles. 

There  are  some  fine  active  volcanoes  in  the  islands.  One  is  Mayon,  in 
Luzon,  8,900  feet  high.  Apo,  in  Mindanao,  is  10,312  feet  high. 

The  Philippines  are  peculiarly  rich  in  what  Mr.  Kipling  would  call 
"  the  sullen,  new-caught  peoples,  half  devil  and  half  child." 


THE   FILIPINO   INSURRECTION.  261 

Of  the  eighty  different  tribes  which  compose  the  population  the  most 
peculiar  are  the  Negritos.  They  are  believed  to  be  the  aboriginal  inhabitants 
of  the  Philippines  and  are  the  lowest  of  existing  human  beings.  They  are 
links  between  ordinary  men  and  apes.  They  cannot  count  above  five,  do 
not  build  dwellings,  and  have  only  a  semi-articulate  speech.  They  practice 
little  agriculture  and  live  on  fruits  and  roots,  and  on  game  which  they  bring 
down  with  their  poisoned  arrows.  In  appearance  they  are  not  unlike  apes. 
They  are  a  wretched,  sickly  race,  of  dwarfish  stature,  with  thin  limbs  and 
protruding  stomachs.  Their  skin  is  black  and  their  hair  curly.  They  linger 
only  in  certain  barren  or  inaccessible  parts.  There  are  a  few  Negritos  on 
Mariveles  Mountain,  near  the  mouth  of  Manila  Bay,  and  in  the  vicinity  of 
Cape  Engano  they  are  quite  numerous. 

Some  of  the  remaining  Philippine  wild  tribes  are  of  pure  Malay 
extraction,  and  others  are  apparently  halfbreed  races  between  Malays  and 
Negritos.  The  Igorrotes,  without  clothes  and  armed  only  with  bows  and 
arrows,  were  conspicuous  figures  in  the  recent  fighting  with  American 
soldiers.  The  word  "  Igorrote,"  which  was  originally  the  name  of  a  single 
tribe,  was  extended  to  include  all  the  head-hunting  people  in  Luzon  and 
later  came  to  mean  any  wild  tribe. 

Head  hunting  is  practiced  by  dozens  out  of  the  eighty  Philippine  tribes. 
The  Gadannes  practice  head  hunting  only  in  the  season  when  the  fire  tree  is 
in  bloom.  It  is  said  to  be  impossible  for  a  young  man  of 

this  tribe  to  find  a  bride  until  he  has  at  least  one  head  to 

ana  Cannibals. 

his    credit.     Among   other   head-hunting   tribes   may   be 

mentioned  the  Altasanes  and  Apsayaos.     Not  all  of  the  wild  tribes,  however, 

are  cannibals  or  head  hunters.    The  Tinguianes  of  Luzon  are  amiable  and 

peaceful. 

The  civilized  Philippine  natives  number  five  millions.  They  belong 
chiefly  to  three  tribes,  the  Tagals,  Ilocanos  and  Visayans.  Professor  Wor- 
cester, the  leading  American  authority  on  the  Philippines,  has  a  favorable 
opinion  of  the  civilized  natives.  The  professor  says  : 

"  The  civilized  Filipino  certainly  has  many  good  qualities  to  offset  his 
bad  traits.  The  traveler  cannot  fail  to  be  impressed  by  his  open-handed  and 
cheerful  hospitality.  He  will  go  to  any  amount  of  trouble  and  no  little 
expense  in  order  to  accommodate  some  perfect  stranger  who  has  not  the 
slightest  claims  to  him.  If  cleanliness  be  next  to  godliness,  he  certainly  has 
much  to  recommend  him.  Every  village  has  its  bath,  if  there  is  any  chance 
for  one,  and  men,  women  and  children  patronize  it  liberally." 

The  fiercest  people  in  all  the  Philippine  Islands  are  the  Moros,  who 
inhabit  the  Sulu  Islands.  These  islands  form  a  separate  group  to  the  south 


262  THE   FILIPINO   INSURRECTION. 

of  the  Philippines,  but  the  United  States  has  gathered  them  in  along  with  the 
rest.  The  Sulus  are  cannibals,  head  hunters  and  unqualified  terrors.  They 
are  Mohammedans  and  are  ruled  by  a  collection  of  Sultans.  A  recent 
Spanish  Governor  proposed  to  collect  taxes.  The  Sultan  of  Sulu,  with  other 
chiefs,  waited  on  the  Governor  to  pay  the  taxes.  The  Sultan  held  a  bag  of 
pearls  in  his  left  hand.  With  his  right  he  drew  a  sword  and  split  the  Gov- 
ernor's skull  from  the  crown  to  the  backbone. 

The  Moro  gentleman  will  cut  a  slave  in  two  merely  to  try  the  edge  of  a 
new  knife.     The  Moros  beleive  that  one  who   takes   the  life  of  a  Christain 
thereby  increases  his  chance  of  happiness  hereafter.       To   be   killed  while 
fighting  Christians  means  immediate  transportation  to  the  seventh  heaven. 
From  time  to  time  it  happens   that  a   Moro   becomes   tired   of  life.     Desir- 
ing to  take  the  shortest  route  to  heaven,  he  bathes  in  a  sacred  spring,  shaves 
off  his  eyebrows,  dresses  in  white,  presents  himself  before 
Astonishing  Customs  dit    and  takes  soiemn  oath  to  die  killing  Christians. 

of  the    Natives. 

He  then  hides  a  kns  or  barong  about  his  person  and 
seeks  the  nearest  town.  There  he  runs  amuck,  slaying  every  living  being 
in  his  path  until  he  is  himself  killed. 

The  Tagbuanas,  of  Palawan,  are  a  curious  half-breed  race  between  the 
Negritos  and  Malays.  These  people  catch  fish  by  throwing  a  poison  called 
macasla  into  shallow  water.  It  causes  the  fish  to  rise  to  the  surface,  where 
they  are  then  taken. 

The  pitcher  plant,  which  eats  insects,  grows  in  the  Philippines.  Bats 
that  live  on  fruit  are  eaten  by  the  natives  and  much  liked.  There  are  enor- 
mous pythons  in  some  of  the  islands.  Dr.  Worcester  mentions  killing  one 
twenty-six  feet  long  in  Palawan  Island.  Cobras  and  other  venomous  snakes 
are  common.  Crocodiles  cause  considerable  loss  of  life  in  Mindanao.  There 
are  no  large  carnivorous  animals,  such  as  tigers,  on  the  islands.  The  Philip- 
pine house  cats  have  a  curious  crook  in  the  ends  of  their  tails.  Mosquitos 
and  other  insects  are,  of  course,  common.  Pests  of  locusts  occur  every 
year.  Fried  locusts  and  a  certain  kind  of  water  beetle  are  esteemed  a 
delicacy  by  the  natives. 

The  soil  of  the  Philippines  is  amazingly  fertile.  Year  after  year  crops 
are  taken  from  the  same  ground  without  any  thought  of  fertilizing.  The 
most  important  products  are  sugar,  abaca,  or  manila  hemp,  tobacco,  rice, 
coffee,  maize,  cacao,  yams,  cocoanuts  and  bananas.  Among  edible  fruits 
are  the  malodorous  durian,  which  is  very  nutritious,  mangoes,  papaws, 
oranges,  lemons,  limes,  citrons,  shaddocks,  jack  fruit,  bread  fruit,  custard 
apples,  lanzones,  tamarinds  and  laichees. 

Gold  exists  in  paying  quantities  in  Luzon  and  Mindanao,  and  there  are 
vast  quantities  of  iron  and  other  minerals. 


STORIES   OF  OFFICERS   OF   CERVERA'S  SQUADRON.          263 

STORIES  OF  OFFICERS  OF  CERVERA'S  SQUADRON. 


Reports  of  the  Spaniards  How  Their  Vessels  were  Beaten  by  Schley's 

Warships. 

BY  CASPER  F.  GOODRICH, 

(Commander  of  the  Auxiliary  Cruiser  "St.  Louis.") 

ATER  the  destruction  of  Cervera's  squadron  by  Rear-Admiral  Schley's  warships, 
July  3,  the  surviving  officers  and  men  surrendered  and  were  sent  to  Portsmouth,  as 
prisoners  of  war,  on  the  auxiliary  cruiser  "  St.  Louis."  During  the  trip  north  the 
Spanish  officers  talked  freely  with  Captain  Goodrich  of  their  tragic  experiences,  and 
these  interesting  descriptions,  made  in  frequent  interviews,  the  captain  reduced  to 
writing,  which  are  herewith  contributed,  as  follows: 

I  learned  from  Admiral  Cervera  that  during  his  stay  in  Santiago  he 
had  received  several  telegrams  from  Madrid  to  leave  port.  On  the  second 
of  July  came  the  final  message  :  "  Leave  port  at  once,  no  matter  what  the 
consequences,  and  engage  fleet.  '  '  This  order  was,  as  may  be  seen,  imperative. 
Preparations  were  begun  with  a  view  to  making  the  attempt  during  the  fol- 
lowing night,  but  for  some  reason  the  American  battleships  did  not  play 
their  searchlights  on  the  entrance  that  night  as  usual,  and  the  wreck  of  the 
"Merrimac"  could  not  be  seen.  As  this  hulk  was  at  the  turning  point  in 
the  channel,  it  became  almost  impossible  to  go  out.  Admiral  Cervera  there- 
fore decided  to  .make  the  sortie  early  the  following  morning,  after  the 
American  ships  had  withdrawn  from  their  night  blockading  stations,  and 
when  they  were,  generally  speaking,  more  scattered  than  at  any  other  time 
of  the  day. 

About  seven  o'clock  on  the  following  morning  a  signal  was  sent  from 
the  signal  station  near  the  Morro,  that  only  the  "  Brooklyn  "  and  the 
"  Texas  "  were  to  the  west  of  the  entrance,  and  that  the 
rest  of  the  American  fleet  were  scattered  to  the  east.  The  ^  * 


squadron  got%  under  way  at  once  and  proceeded  down  the  Harbor. 

bay  with  the  flagship,  the  "Maria  Teresa,"  in  the  lead. 
She  was  followed  by  the  "  Almirante  Oquendo,"  "  Vizcaya,"  "  Cristobal 
Colon,"  and  the  torpedo-boat  destroyers  "  Pluton  "  and  "  Furor,"  in  the  order 
named.  The  wharves  and  docks  at  Santiago  were  crowded  with  people  who 
had  come  down  to  see  the  ships  off,  and  cheer  after  cheer  arose  as  the  pride 
of  Spain's  navy  bravely  sallied  forth  to  meet  a  vastly  superior  enemy. 

As  only  one  ship  could  pass  through  the  narrow  entrance  at  a  time,  a 
definite  battle  formation  was  out  of  the  question.     The  orders  issued  by 


264  STORIES  OF  OFFICERS  OF   CERVERA'S  SQUADRON. 

Admiral  Cervera  to  the  captains  of  his  ships,  therefore,  were  to  proceed  at 
full  speed  to  the  westward  after  clearing  the  entrance,  and  to  concentrate 
their  fire  upon  the  "  Brooklyn."  He  hoped  to  disable  the  "  Brooklyn," 
which  he  considered  the  only  ship  that  could  overtake  his  vessels ;  then  to 
escape  to  the  westward,  raise  the  blockade  of  Havana  and  take  refnge  in  the 
harbor. 

The  leading  vessel,  the  "  Maria  Teresa,"  passed  the  Morro  about  half- 
past  nine  o'clock,  followed  by  the  rest  of  the  fleet  in  column.  The  details 
of  the  battle  on  board  the  "  Maria  Teresa  "  were  told  by  Lieutenant  Gomez, 
of  the  admiral's  staff,  as  follows  : 

"After  clearing  the  harbor  we  headed  to  the  westward  along  the  shore. 
We  fired  the  first  shot  of  the  battle,  aiming  at  the  '  Brooklyn,'  then  about 
three  miles  away.  The  '  Texas,'  '  Iowa '  and  '  Brooklyn '  returned  our 
fire,  but  their  first  shots  fell  short.  As  the  distance  between  the  ships  de- 
creased, the  shells  commenced  to  strike  us  and  did  great  damage.  First  a 
shell  exploded  in  the  admiral's  cabin,  setting  fire  to  the  woodwork  there.  A 
signal  was  sent  to  the  engine  room  to  start  the  pumps,  but 
Terrible  Results  ^e  ^re  majlis  ]la(j  been  ruptured  by  an  exploding  slu-l!, 

American  Guns.  so  *nat  no  water  could  be  got  to  the  fire.  Another  shell 
struck  the  main  steam  pipe,  disabling  the  port  engine,  and 
the  escaping  steam  killed  every  man  in  that  compartment.  One  exploding 
shell  killed  or  wounded  eighty  of  our  men.  Our  fire  was  directed  principally 
against  the  '  Brooklyn.'  The  fire  in  the  after  part  of  the  ship  had  driven 
the  crews  away  from  the  after  guns,  and  the  rapid-fire  guns  of  the  American 
ships  were  playing  havoc  with  our  men  and  riddling  the  upper  'works  of  the 
ship.  Having  one  engine  disabled  and  the  whole  after  part  of  the  ship  on 
fire,  the  vessel  was  headed  toward  the  shore  in  search  of  a  suitable  place  for 
beaching.  The  captain  said  to  the  admiral  : 

" '  My  ship  is  in  flames,  my  engines  are  disabled,  my  men  have  been 
driven  from  the  guns  and  are  being  killed;  ought  I  not  for  humanity's  sake 
to  surrender  ?  ' 

"  The  admiral  answered,  '  It  will  be  useless  to  fight  longer.' 
"  The  flag  was  hauled  down  and  the  ship  run  on  the  beach.  The  cap- 
tain was  struck  and  severely  wounded  just  as  the  flag  was  being  lowered.  The 
fire  was  now  raging  aft  so  that  there  was  great  danger  of  the  magazine  being 
blown  up  at  any  minute.  The  admiral  and  those  of  the  officers  and  crew 
still  alive  took  to  the  water,  the  risk  of  drowning  being  preferable  to  the 
certainty  of  being  burned  or  blown  \\p.  Many  reached  the  shore,  but  some 
were  drowned.  Admiral  Cervera  stripped  to  his  underclothes  and  plunged 
into  the  water.  Two  of  the  sailors  secured  topes  to  a  grating,  and  taking 


STORIES   OF  OFFICERS   OF   CERVERA'S  SQUADRON.         265 

the  other  end  of  the  ropes  in  their  mouths  swam  to  the  shore  towing  the 
grating,  the  admiral  bearing  part  of  his  weight  on  it.  The  admiral's  son, 
one  of  his  staff,  swam  along  behind  his  father  and  assisted  as  best  he  could. 
Had  it  not  been  for  this  assistance  Admiral  Cervera  would  undoubtedly  have 
been  drowned,  as  he  is  a  very  poor  swimmer.  While  the  men  were  in  the 
water  the  Cubans  on  shore  commenced  firing  at  them  until  the  '  Iowa '  put 
a  stop  to  that  atrocity  by  throwing  a  shell  among  them  and  scattering  them." 

Captain  Eulate,  of  the  "  Vizcaya,"  speaking  of  the  battle,  said : 
"  When  the  order  to  leave  port  was  given  we  all  realized  that  we  were  going 
out  to  meet  disaster,  and  that  we  were  being  sacrificed  on  the  altar  of  Span- 
ish honor.  My  officers  and  men  fought  like  true  Spaniards  to  the  end,  but  it 
was  useless.  I  was  fighting  four  ships,  any  one  of  which  was  superior  to 
my  own.  My  poor  '  Vizcaya,'  she  was  a  splendid  ship,  but  now  she  is  only 
a  wreck.  I  have  lost  everything  except  honor."  Continuing  he  said  :  "  When 
the  '  Maria  Teresa  '  headed  for  shore  I  passed  her,  and  I  had  the  '  Brooklyn,' 
'  Texas,'  '  Iowa '  and  '  Oregon '  all  firing  at  me.  The  firing  from  these 
ships  was  terrific;  shells  were  bursting  all  around  us.  My  ship  was  set  on 
fire  by  a  shell  exploding  in  my  cabin.  My  engines  and  pumps  were  dis- 
abled, and  I  could  not  fight  the  flames.  My  men  were  being  killed  and 
wounded  in  large  numbers.  A  shell  finally  exploded  in  my  forward  magazines 
and  I  was  forced  to  head  for  the  shore.  When  Iwent  into  action,  I  had  flying 
at  my  masthead  a  large  embroidered  silk  flag,  which  had  been  made  and  pre- 
sented to  the  ship  by  ladies  of  the  province  of  Vizcaya.  When  I  saw  that 
my  ship  would  be  lost,  I  had  this  flag  hauled  down  and  burned,  and  hoisted 
another  ensign  in  its  place.  My  flag  was  shot  away  twice  during  the  en- 
gagement, the  last  time  just  as  the  ship  grounded.  The  boats  of  the  'Iowa ' 
picked  up  those  of  my  officers  and  men  still  left  alive,  carrying  them  to  that 
ship.  When  I  went  on  board  the  '  Iowa,'  I  took  off  my  sword  and  tendered 
it  to  Captain  Evans,  but  he  refused  it,  saying  that  I  had  fought  four  ships 
and  that  I  could  keep  my  sword.  That  was  the  proudest  moment  of  my 
life." 

The    captain  of  the  "  Oquendo "   committed    suicide 

and  the  second  and  third  officers  were  killed  during  the  "?cidc?f, 

.      .         .  the  "Oqfiendo's" 

engagement.    The  following  description  is  trom  the  pay-          Captain. 

master  of  the  "  Oquendo  :  " 

"  When  we  came  out  of  the  harbor  we  were  fired  on  by  the  '  Iowa,' 
'  Texas '  and  '  Oregon.'  Our  fire  was  mostly  directed  against  the  '  Texas,5 
for  we  had  seen  the  splendid  shooting  done  by  her  in  the  attacks  on  the 
batteries.  From  the  first  the  firing  was  terrific  and  great  damage  was  done. 
The  after  part  of  the  ship  was  set  on  fire  by  bursting  shell  and  could  not  be 
put  out.  Finally,  fearing  that  the  magazines  would  explode  and  everyone 


266          STORIES   OF   OFFICERS   OF   CKRYKRA'S  SQUADRON. 

be  lost,  the  ship  was  beached  and  the  flag  lowered.  The  mortality  on  the 
ship  was  great,  over  half  of  the  crew  being  killed  and  wounded." 

Captain  Moreu  of  the  "  Cristobal  Colon  "  by  far  the  ablest  officer  in 
the  fleet  gave  an  account  of  his  ship.  He  did  not  open  fire  at  first,  but 
moved  inside  the  other  vessels.  When  the  "  Vizcaya  "  headed  for  the  shore, 
he  passed  her  and  then  opened  fire  on  the."  Oregon,"  "  Brooklyn  "  and 
"Texas,"  which  ships  had  taken  up  the  chase.  He  ran  to  the  westward 
close  to  the  shore.  The  heavy  guns  intended  for  this  ship  had  never  been 
mounted,  and  when  asked  where  they  were,  the  captain  shrugged  his  shoul- 
ders and  said  :  "  Perhaps  in  the  pocket  of  the  Minister  of  Marine."  Finally, 
when  about  fifty  miles  from  Santiago,  he  was  headed  off  by  the  "  Oregon," 
and  the  "  Brooklyn  "  and  "  Texas  "  were  both  closing  in  on  him.  He  saw 
that  it  was  useless  to  continue,  and  so  beached  his  ship  and  hauled  down  his 
flag  at  i. 20  p.  in.  There  was  no  serious  damage  done  to  this  vessel,  and  but 
one  man  killed  and  sixteen  wounded.  All  the  officers  and  crew  were  taken 
off  and  put  on  board  the  "  Resolute." 

Lieutenant  Diego  Carlier,  in  command  of  the  destroyer  "  Furor,"  and 
Lieutenant  Piedro  Vasquez,  in  command  of  the  "  Pluton,"  tell  the  same 
short  story.  They  were  literally  riddled  by  the  rapid-fire  guns  of  the 
"  Oregon,"  "  Iowa"  and  "  Texas."  Their  boilers  were  struck  and  exploded, 
one  after  the  other,  in  rapid  succession.  A  large  shell  struck  the  "  Furor  " 
almost  amidship  and  exploded,  nearly  tearing  her  in  two.  She  sank  almost 
immediately.  The  steering  gear  on  the  "  Pluton  "  was  shot  away,  and  she 
ran  into  shoal  water  and  sank.  These  vessels  each  carried  seventy-two  men. 
But  twenty-two  were  saved  from  the  "  Pluton  "  and  but  seventeen  from  the 
"  Furor."  Among  the  killed  being  Rear- Admiral  Villamil.  The  officers  all 
expressed  themselves  as  amazed  at  the  rapidity  and  accuracy  of  the  fire 
of  the  American  ships. 

Admiral  Cervera  sent  me  this  letter  after  his  arrival  at  Portsmouth : 

CAPTAIN  CASPAR  F.  GOODRICH,  U.  S.  M.  S.  "St.  Louis": 

MY  DEAR  SIR: — I  have  the  greatest  pleasure  in  acknowledging  by  these  presents,  in  my 

own  name  and  also  in  that  of  all  captains  and  officers  on  board  this  ship,  that  we  consider 

ourselves  under  the  greatest  obligation  to  you  for  the  many  kindnesses 

A  Courteous  Letter     and  excellent  treatment  which  you  and  all  the  officers  under  your  com- 

of  Thanks.  mand  have  shown  to  us  during  this  passage.     I  must  also  mention  the 

careful  and  most  valuable  medical  assistance  which  lias  been  given  to  our 

wounded  and  sick  men.  Your  kind  feelings  went  as  far  in  this  respect  as  to  order  them  to  be 
put  in  one  of  the  saloons  of  the  ship  in  order  to  provide  more  effectually  for  their  comfort.  I 
know  nothing  which  does  not  agree  with  what  I  have  just  written,  the  case  of  D.  Enrique 
Capriles  being  wholly  unknown  to  me,  since  neither  you  nor  he  has  spoken  to  me  about  it.  I 
thank  you  again  for  the  delicate  and  manifold  acts  of  kindness  by  which  you  have  endeavored 
to  alleviate  the  sore  burden  of  our  great  misfortune.  I  assure  you  that  I  shall  never  forget 
them,  and  I  am,  sir,  your  most  obedient  servant,  P \SCUEL  CERVERA, 

frfar  Admiral. 


GLORIOUS  STRUGGLE  OF  OUR  ARMY  BEFORE  SANTIAGO.    207 

Following  is  the  list  of  the  officers  of  the  Spanish  fleet  who  were 
brought  to  the  United  States  by  the  "St.  Louis:"  Rear  Admiral  Pascuel 
Cervera,  Commodore  Jose  Paredez,  Captain  Antonio  Eulate,  of  the  "  Viz- 
caya,"  and  Emilio  Diaz  Moreu,  of  the  "  Cristobal  Colon ; "  Commanders 
MacCrohon,  Adolfo,  Contreas  and  Manuel  Roldan  ;  Captains  of  Marines 
Frederich  Baleato  and  Eugenic  Espinoza  y  Leon  ;  Lieutenants,  first  class, 
Diego  Carlier,  Xavier  Quiroga,  Piedro  Vasquez,  Pablo  Marina,  Enrique 
Capriles,  and  Carlos  Gonzales  Llanos ;  Chief  Engineer  Juan  Cuenca ;  Lieu- 
tenants German  Suanzes,  Antonio  Magaz,  Fernando  Lengo,  F.  Bruquetas, 
and  Jose  Maria  Pazos,  A.  C. 


GLORIOUS  STRUGGLE  OF  OUR  ARMY  BEFORE 

SANTIAGO. 


Storming  Through  Jungle  Up  the  Hill  That  Led  to  San  Juan. 

BY  JAMES  CREELMAN. 

THE  battle   of  Santiago,  which  was  fought  between  the  American 
troops  and  the  Spaniards  on  Friday,  July  i,  reflected  credit  upon 
both  armies — upon  the  Americans  because  they  stormed  trenches 
that    should    have   been   impregnable,  and    upon    the  Spaniards 
because,  with  inferior  numbers,  they  made  a  stubborn  and  desperate  resist- 
ance, proving  their  boast  that  when  engaged  with  an  army  fighting  after  the 
European  fashion  they  would  render  a  good  account  of  themselves.     That 
they  showed  themselves  to  be  a  match  for  American  soldiers  is  not  to  be 
admitted  for  a  moment,  however.     A  generous  foe  can  say  no  more  of  them 
than  that  they  knew  how  to  die.     General  Hawkins,  being  asked  after  the 
battle  whether  American  troops  could  be  driven  from  such  intrenchments  as 
those  in  which  the  Spaniards  fought,  answered  with  an  emphatic  "  No!  " 

Between  Siboney  on  the  coast,  the  base  of  operations,  and  Santiago,  lay, 
a  little  to  the  north  of  a  line  drawn  between  the  two,  the  fortified  village  of 
Caney.  It  was  judged  necessary  to  reduce  this  place  lest  the  enemy  should 
threaten  our  rear.  The  nominal  garrison  of  Caney  was  800.  General 
Shafter  sent  Lawton's  division,  the  Second,  of  6,000  men,  against  Caney, 
while  Kent's,  the  First,  and  Wheeler's  cavalry  division  were  to  proceed  up 
the  valley  road  and  attack  San  Juan  Hill,  on  which  were  the  main  land 
defences  of  Santiago.  Lawton's  division,  having  reduced  Caney,  was  to 
co-operate  with  Kent  and  Wheeler  at  San  Juan.  It  was  believed  that  Caney 


268   GLORIOUS  STRUGGLE  OF  OUR  ARMY  BEFORE  SANTIAGO. 

would  soon  fall  before  a  brisk  assault,  but  it  stood  off  Law  ton's  division, 
assisted  by  Capron's  battery  of  four  guns,  all  day.  Catiey  may  be  dismissed 
for  the  present  while  a  description  of  the  movement  on  San  Juan  is 
attempted. 

The  'battle  in  this  part  of  the  field  was  opened  by  Captain  Grimes' 

battery,  which  was  posted  on  a  hill  above  El  Pozo  ranch  house,  a  dismantled 

building  with  a  tiled  roof  and  a  rusted  bell.      General 

Grimes'  Battery     j        h  Wheeler's  cavalry  division,  consisting  of  the  Third, 
Opens  the  Fight.      J 

Sixth  and  Ninth,  under  General  Samuel  S.  Sumner,  and 

the  First,  Tenth  and  First  Volunteers  (Rough  Riders),  under  Colonel 
Leonard  Wood,  General  Young  being  disabled  by  illness,  was  distributed 
through  the  woods  on  the  hill  and  outside  the  range  of  the  enemy's  expected 
fire,  as  well  as  could  be  judged.  The  morning  was  hot  with  a  tropical 
intensity,  the  cocoanut  palms  of  the  valley  being  wreathed  in  vapors,  while 
the  sky  was  copper  blue.  At  twenty  minutes  to  7,  "  Aim  !  Fire ! "  said 
Captain  Grimes  in  tones  clear  and  firm.  Grimes  has  the  air  and  spectacles 
of  a  college  professor,  and  his  face  is  severe  but  kindly.  "  Bang !  "  went  the 
black  tube,  and  everybody  on  the  hill  strained  his  eyesight  at  the  house  on 
San  Juan,  which  was  really  a  farmhouse  and  not  a  blockhouse,  to  see  what 
damage  would  be  done.  Everybody  was  disappointed,  including  Captain 
Grimes,  who  tried  again,  with  the  same  result.  Several  shots  were  fired 
before  some  one  looking  through  a  field  glass  announced  that  a  hole  had 
been  knocked  through  the  roof  of  the  house.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  our 
battery  was  throwing  solid  shot  and  shrapnel  on  the  crest  of  the  hill  to  find 
the  enemy,  and  not  to  demolish  the  innocent-looking  farm  building  on  top 
of  it. 

In  the  bright  sunshine  the  exercises  of  our  guns  were  spectacular  and 

exhilarating.     War  might  be  hell  to  the  other  fellows,  but  it  was  pleasant 

enough  to  us  and  worth  a  good    price    for  a  front   seat. 

Occasionally  the  boom  of  Capron's  guns  came  to  the  ear 

from  the  right,  and  smoke  rose  to  mark  his  position.     In 

the  middle  valley  was  the  spacious  Ducrot  house,  looking  cool  and  stately 

with  its  guardian  palms.    Bounding  the  valley  paradise  on  the  north,  abruptly 

rose  to  a  great  height  a  verdant  range  of  peaks.     Scanning  the  floor  of  the 

valley  sailed  the  buzzard  waiting  for  the  carnage.    Grimes'  guns  had  boomed 

ten  times,  and  there  was  a  pleased  and  interested  look  in  every  eye  and  a 

smile  on  many  lips,  when  there  came  a  muffled  report  from  San  Juan,  and 

soon  a  peculiar  singing,  long-drawn-out  hiss  cut  the  air  and  the  spectators 

forgot  the  marksmanship  of  Grimes'  guns  in  a  hasty  hunt  for  cover.     The 

Spaniards  were  replying  with  shrapnel  from  a  5-inch  gun.     Their  shell  canie. 


GLORIOUS  STRUGGLE  OK  OUR  ARMY  BEFORE  SANTIAGO.  269 

over  the  brow  of  the  hill  and  burst  into  a  hundred  fragments  like  a  rocket. 
It  was  a  good  line  shot,  but  high.  Officers  hurried  their  men  to  right  and 
left  and  made  them  lie  down  in  the  bushes.  Nobody  ever  learns  to  listen  to 
the  music  of  shrapnel  with  longing,  for  the  thought  of  being  torn  to  pieces 
is  abiding.  But  Grimes'  voice  was  as  clarion-like  as  ever,  and  it  was 
comforting  to  hear  the  little  man  say  "  Aim  !  Fire  !  "  as  steady  as  a  clock. 

Meanwhile,  amid  the  din  of  guns  and  the  cruel  hiss  of  Spanish  shells, 
the  dog  mascots  of  the  regiments  ran  about  in  the  tall  grass  and  pushed 
aside  the  bushes  with  wagging  tail  and  sparkling  eye,  while  the  birds  in 
their  leafy  bowers  sang  on.  Prostrate  men  in  the  brush,  to  whom  the  passing 
of  the  hissing  shell  was  a  procession  of  warnings  of  sudden  death,  tried  to 
get  interested  in  the  slipping  of  lizards  up  and  down  decayed  stumps,  but 
afterward  they  could  not  remember  the  color  of  the  lizards.  Suddenly  the 
Spanish  fire  ceased,  but  Grimes  continued  to  say  "  Aim  !  Fire  !  "  and  it  was 
remarkable  how  indifferent  everybody  was  to  the  effect  of  American  shells 
on  Spanish  nerves. 

Our  guns  fired  ten  rounds  after  the  Spaniards  stopped,  and  it  was  said 
that  we  had  knocked  one  of  their  pieces  off  its  carriage.  Two  of  our 
artillerymen  had  been  killed  and  three  sergeants  and  a  corporal  of  the 
battery  wounded.  Several  troopers  of  the  Rough  Riders  had  been  hit,  and  a 
corporal  of  the  Third  Cavalry  had  a  bad  leg  wound.  In  a  dip  under  the  hill 
twelve  Cubans  had  been  torn  by  the  shrapnel. 

Strung  out  on  the  valley  road  to  the  right  and  east  of  HI  Pozo,  Kent's 
division  was  lying  and  awaiting  the  signal  to  advance.  Two  reasons 
have  been  suggested  for  the  cessation  of  firing  by  our 

battery.     One  is  that  we  could    not   afford   to  draw  the    . 

/  ."••',  .  Was  Suspended. 

Spanish  fire  in  the  direction  of  advancing  infantry,  and 

the  other  that  the  Spaniards,  having  our  range  perfectly,  were  knocking  over 
too  many  of  our  gunners.  The  first  reason  is  sufficient.  Smokeless  powder 
was  used  by  the  Spaniards,  and  we  had  no  means  of  knowing  whether  they 
had  sustained  any  damage.  Wheeler's  dismounted  cavalrymen  were  ordered 
off  the  hill  and  to  the  front,  and  Kent's  infantry  to  support  them.  His 
division  was  brigaded  as  follows  :  Sixth,  Sixteenth  and  Seventy-first  (New 
York  Volunteers),  General  Hawkins ;  Second,  Tenth  and  Twenty-first? 
Colonel  Pearson  ;  Ninth,  Thirteenth  and  Twenty-fourth,  Colonel  Wikoff. 

As  our  men  advanced  they  were  met  by  cross-fires  poured  from  wooded 
eminences  on  both  flanks,  which  could  not  be  seen  from  the  road  or  even  by 
the  skirmish  lines.  Every  little  mound,  every  inch  of  country  was  known 
to  the  enemy.  They  knew  where  our  troops  must  be  deploying  and  where  a 
volley  fired  by  them  would  strike  with  effect.  When  the  Americans  had  to 


270    GLORIOUS  STRUGGLE  OF  OUR  ARMY  BEFORE  SANTIAGO. 

cross  a  clearing  it  seemed  as  if  the  Spanish  rear  was  concentrating  all  its  fire 
upon  our  marching  and  dodging  men.  Credit  must  therefore  be  given  the 
Spaniards  for  knowing  and  availing  themselves  of  what  may  be  termed  the 
casualty  value  of  the  country  through  which  their  foe  was  advancing. 

The  Americans,  on  the  other  hand,  were  in  a  continuous  ambush  while 

pushing  on  toward  San  Juan-     Where  the  volleys  came  from  and  why  the 

bullets   reached   them   in  such   showers   they  could   not 

We  Were  in        realize,  and  do  not  know  to  this  day.     It  was  like  being 

Continuous  .  .  .  ...         , ., 

Ambush.          snot  a^  ln  "ie  dark  and  yet  seeing  men  falling  like  tenpins. 

Is  it  remarkable  that  in  such  a  deadly  labyrinth  commands 
got  mixed  up,  orders  went  astray,  and  one  regiment  found  itself  ahead  of 
another;  that  at  El  Pozo  had  been  in  the  van  ? 

The  division  had  been  feeling  its  way  along  for  two  hours  when  the 
word  was  passed  along  to  halt,  and  there  seems  to  be  an  impression  that  it 
was  the  intention  to  go  into  camp  on  the  plain  below  San  Juan  and  within 
range  of  the  Spanish  batteries  and  even  of  the  trenches.  There  were  really 
only  two  things  to  do,  to  retire  or  to  storm  the  trenches.  A  retreat  would 
have  demoralized  the  army  and  postponed  the  taking  of  Santiago  indefinitely. 
An  advance  was  ordered  again  in  a  short  time  and  the  troops  went  doggedly 
on,  driving  the  Spaniards  back  and  into  their  trenches.  At  last  the  foot  of 
San  Juan  was  reached  and  the  emergency  developed  the  indispensable  hero. 
He  was  Brigadier-General  Hawkins,  a  tall,  well-knit  old  man,  with  white 
mustache  and  pointed,  short  beard.  With  him  were  the  Sixth  and  Sixteenth 
Infantry.  The  other  regiment  of  his  brigade,  the  Seventy-first  New  York 
Volunteers,  was  not  yet  up.  This  fine  old  soldier  rode  out  in  front  of  his 
regulars  and,  drawing  his  sword,  pointed  to  the  hill  and  called  upon  them  in 
ringing  tones  to  follow  him. 

Then  he  turned  and  set  his  face  to  the  enemy,  who  had  marked  him  for 

slaughter  and  were  volleying  viciously.     The  Sixth  and  Sixteenth  dashed 

forward  with  a  cheer  in  which  the  old  rebel  yell  could  be 

the  Tre'nch^s       distinguished.     Withering  was  the  fire  on  them,  and  men 

reeled    and    dropped    down    in   their   tracks.     There  was 

straggling,  as  there  always  is  in  a  charge  up  a  slope,  but  the  body  of  men 

moved  on  and  up  and  would  not  be  denied.     Volley  after  volley  was  blazed 

at  them  until  the  trenches  yawned  and  the  Spaniards  in  them  could  be 

individually  seen.     Our  men  fired  as  they  ran   forward — fired  at   Spanish 

faces,  peering  and  strained.     In  another  moment  it  was  all  over,  for  the 

enemy   scrambled  out  of  the    trenches    and    ran    without  a  look    behind. 

Gallant  old  General  Hawkins  did   not  get  a  scratch,   but  his  losses  were 

heavy.     Lieutenant  Garry  Ord,  son  of  the  distinguished  general  of  that  name, 


GLORIOUS  STRUGGLE  OF  OUR  ARMY  BEFORE  SANTIAGO.    271 

and  a  lieutenant  of  the  Sixth,  had  been  killed  by  a  wounded  Spaniard  after 
he  had  bidden  his  men  to  spare  the  fellow,  and  Lieutenant  Michie  of  the 
same  regiment  had  fallen,  too.  Before  the  end  of  the  day  the  Sixth  lost  one 
hundred  in  killed  and  wounded,  and  the  casualties  of  the  Sixteenth  were  also 
serious.  To  General  Hawkins  belongs  the  honor  of  taking  the  key  of  the 
position  and  the  heart  out  of  the  Spaniards. 

The  fortunes  of  the  Signal  Corps'  war  balloon  must  here  be  touched  on. 
Early  in  the  day  it  was  sent  up  with  Colonel  George  M.  Derby  and  Major 
J.  H.  Maxfield  in  the  car,  and  it  kept  pace  with  the  advance 
of  the  division,  to  the  embarrassment  and  indignation  of 

a  Target. 

the  men,  who  say  that  it  indicated  their  line  of  march  and 
drew  the  Spanish  fire.  The  balloon,  at  any  rate,  soon  became  a  target  for 
the  enemy's  gunners,  riflemen  and  sharpshooters,  and  bullets  and  shrapnel 
flew  thick  around  it.  Twenty  times  it  was  pierced,  and  the  occupants  gave 
themselves  up  for  lost.  The  great  bag  was  brought  down,  however,  to  the 
bed  of  the  creek,  and  there  abandoned  for  the  time.  Later  a  detail  of  twenty 
men  was  sent  to  drag  it  from  the  water,  but  they  had  to  retire  under  heavy 
fire.  In  the  end  the  remains  of  it  were  saved. 

At  3.50  occurred  the  second  thrilling  episode  of  the  day.  Under  the 
brow  of  the  main  hill  a  council  of  war  had  been  held,  a  further  advance 
being  the  subject  of  it.  The  majority  opinion  seemed  to 

be  that  it  would  cause  too  great  a  loss  of  life,  and  was  not   Fl"al  Char8e  Led 

by  Roosevelt. 
to  be  thought  of.     Colonel    Theodore   Roosevelt,  of  the 

First  Volunteer  Cavalry  (Rough  Riders),  argued  that  the  only  way  to  take 
the  top  of  the  hill,  which  was  marked  by  the  two  houses  previously  men- 
tioned, was  to  rush  it.  "  I  will  lead  the  way  if  you  will  let  me,"  he  said. 
There  was  no  answer,  and,  judging  that  silence  gave  consent,  Roosevelt 
sprang  to  the  front  and  shouted  to  those  immediately  near  to  follow  him. 
There  is  some  conflict  of  opinion  as  to  who  fell  in  behind  in  that  reckless 
charge  up  the  hill.  Colonel  Roosevelt  believes  that  his  command  alone 
answered  his  call,  but  others  say  that  two  companies  of  the  Seventy-first  and 
a  company  of  the  Twenty-fourth  (colored)  also  ran  for  the  summit.  On 
the  way  Colonel  Roosevelt  shot  down  a  Spaniard  in  his  path.  There  is  no 
disposition"  to  detract  from  the  achievement  of  the  Rough  Riders,  but  the 
evidence  is  that  others  joined  them  in  the  charge.  Captain  Paget,  of  the 
British  Navy,  who  saw  it  through  his  glasses  from  El  Pozo  hill,  was  amazed 
and  delighted,  and  his  tribute  to  the  intrepidity  of  the  American  soldier 
could  not  have  been  warmer  than  it  was.  He  voiced  the  opinion  of  every 
English  correspondent  on  the  field.  Phil  Robinson  vied  with  Paget  in  his 
admiration.  Before  the  mad  rush  of  Roosevelt  and  his  men  the  Spaniards 


272  GLORIOUS  STRUGGLE  OF  OUR  ARMY  BEFORE  SANTIAGO. 

fell  back  to  the  next  hill.     There  they  hung.     Roosevelt,  delirious  with  the 

excitement  of  battle,  called  for  another  charge.     Five  men  responded  and 

three  of  them  were  at  once  shot  down.     He  ran  back  and 

said  in  his  nervous  way  :  "  I  didn't  think  you  would  refuse 
I  Lead." 

to  follow  where  I  led."  "  We'll  follow  you,"  was  the  shout, 
they  swarmed  along  after  him  and  the  hill  was  taken. 

Soon  after  four  o'clock  Best's  battery  was  withdrawn,  and  it  rumbled  into 
a  place  of  safety.  The  Spanish  fire  had  been  too  hot  for  it.  All  the  after- 
noon the  opposing  lines  had  been  volleying  at  each  other  without  a  moment's 
cessation.  Such  uniutermittent  firing  had  seldom,  if  ever,  been  heard.  It 
was  terrific,  and  the  memory  of  it  will  always  remain  with  those  whose  ears 
ached  with  it.  Imagine  an  exploding  string  of  giant  fire-crackers  miles 
and  miles  long,  and  you  get  some  idea  of  it.  At  4.45  the  banging, 
crackling  and  sputtering  ceased,  and  a  stillness  fell  on  the  valley  which  was 
like  the  end  of  all  things. 

Before  reverting  to  the  work  laid  out  for  Lawton's  division  on  the  right 
it  should  be  mentioned  that  Grimes'  battery  on  El  Pozo  hill  and  the  Spanish 
guns  back  of  San  Juan  had  a  second  duel,  but  a  briefer  one  than  the  first. 
Neither  battery  did  much  damage. 

Lawton's  orders  were  to  take  Caney,  a  small  town  defended  by  a  stone 
fort  and  a  blockhouse  on  a  hill  above  it.  After  reducing  the  place  he  was 
to  march  on  Santiago.  It  is  no  secret  that  General 
ie  ig  ing  Lawton  expected  to  dispose  of  Caney  at  one  blow.  Gen- 
eral Chaffee,  an  officer  who  had  been  in  a  way  a  rival  of 
Lawton,  was,  to  have  the  honor  of  capturing  Caney,  and  Lawton  was  to  get 
his  share  of  the  laurels  in  an  attack  on  Santiago.  He  may  have  indulged 
the  hope  of  reaching  the  Spanish  defences  ahead  of  Kent  and  driving  the 
enemy  back  on  the  city.  However  that  may  be,  both  Lawton  and  Chaffee 
thought  Caney  would  be  a  rotten  nut  to  crack.  The  start  was  made  at 
dawn,  and  report  says  the  march  was  made  as  rapidly  and  quickly  as  possible 
to  prevent  a  hasty  exit  of  the  Spaniards  from  Caney,  for  there  would  have 
been  no  glory  in  capturing  an  evacuated  town.  The  Spaniards,  as  it  turned 
out,  had  no  notion  of  running  away.  Estimates  differ  as  to  how  many 
Spaniards  there  were  in  the  place.  The  enemy  says  600,  the  Cubans  1,000, 
and  American  army  officers  put  the  garrison  at  1,500  to  2,000.  Whatever 
the  number,  it  fought  to  the  death  for  nine  hours  and  held  Lawton  at  a  time 
when  he  might  have  been  useful  before  Santiago.  The  Spaniards  did  not 
come  out  to  give  us  battle  ;  they  fought  mainly  in  trenches  surrounding  the 
fort  and  blockhouse  and  in  those  buildings.  From  a  hill  2,375  yards  from 
the  stone  fort  Captain  Capron,  father  of  the  young  officer  of  the  Rough 


GLORIOUS  STRUGGLE  OF  OUR  ARMY  BEFORE  SANTIAGO.    273 

Riders  who  was  killed  at  Guasimas,  opened  the  attack  with  a  shell  fired  at 
6.35  a.  m.  at  a  body  of  Spaniards  who  were  /ailing  back  to  the  trenches. 
One  of  his  early  shots  went  through  the  roof  of  the  stone  fort.  The  infantry 
was  thus  distributed  :  Chaffee's  brigade  of  the  Seventh,  Twelfth  and  Seven- 
teenth Regiments  advanced  on  Caney  from  the  east.  Colonel  Miles'  brigade 
of  the  First,  Fourth  and  Twenty-fifth  was  to  attack  from  the  south,  and 
Ludlow's,  consisting  of  the  Second  Massachusetts  Volunteers  and  the  Eighth, 
and  Twenty-second  Regulars,  was  sent  round  to  make  an 

approach  from  the  southwest.     General   Chaffee  rode  up"  °°  So;nethins  for 

Your  Country." 

and  down    behind    his  firing  line  encouraging  his  men. 

"  Now,  boys,  do  something  for  your  country  to-day,"  he  frequently  said. 
Chaffee  did  not  think  the  Spaniards  would  hold  out  very  long.  Ludlow's 
men  made  slow  but  steady  progress  through  a  tract  of  woods,  running  from 
bush  to  bush  and  shooting  at  a  Spaniard  whenever  they  could  see  one. 

The  Second  Massachusetts  Volunteers  of  this  command  behaved 
splendidly,  exposing  themselves  freely  and  displaying  fine  marksmanship. 
Miles'  brigade  had  to  make  up  a  good  deal  of  ground  to  get  well  into  the 
fight,  but  it  came  up  in  time  to  take  its  share  of  the  assault,  when  the 
Second  Massachusetts  and  the  Twenty-second  Regulars  were  lying  in  the 
road  for  a  breathing  spell.  The  Fourth  and  Twenty-fifth  of  Miles'  brigade 
were  fairly  fresh,  and  they  moved  up  on  the  blockhouse  northwest  of  the 
town. 

Meanwhile  the  Spaniards,  shooting  from  their  trenches  and  from  loop- 
holes, kept  up  a  galling  fire  upon  our  men  wherever  they  showed.  They 
fired  a  tremendous  amount  of  ammunition,  but  without 
taking  very  good  aim.  They  seemed  to  think  that  the 
Americans  could  be  driven  back  by  a  continuous  fusillade, 
whether  they  suffered  much  damage  or  not.  Company  G  and  half  of  Com- 
pany C  of  the  Twenty-fifth  Infantry  (colored),  led  by  Lieutenant  Moss  of 
bicycle  fame,  had  the  honor  of  storming  and  taking,  in  two  rushes,  the 
blockhouse.  Many  Spaniards  in  it  were  killed,  and  the  survivors  made  a 
rush  for  the  stone  fort  in  Caney  under  a  hot  fire.  A  company  of  the  Twelfth 
Infantry,  which  I  accompanied,  was  in  the  advance  and  ran  up  and  took  pos- 
session of  the  stone  fort  after  Capron's  shells  had  made  a  wreck  of  it  and  all 
but  three  of  its  defenders  had  been  killed.  These,  bespattered  with  blood 
and  exhausted  from  the  tremendous  strain  of  their  defence,  were  glad  to  sur- 
render. The  Spanish  flag  was  hauled  down,  and  the  American  colors  went 
up  and  floated  out  bravely.  I  was  struck  in  the  shoulder  by  a  ball  that  came 
through  a  loophole,  but  my  wound  while  painful,  was  not  serious. 

18 


274    GLORIOUS  STRUGGLE  OF  OUR  ARMY  BEFORE  SANTIAGO. 

During  July  i  Brigadier-General  Duffield,  in  command   of  the   Thirty- 

third  Michigan  Volunteers,  a  battalion  of  the  Thirty-fourth  Michigan,  and 

about  2,000  Cubans,  had  not  been  idle.     His   orders   were 

Outfield's  Fight     to  move  aiong  trie  iittie  raiiroad  on  the  coast  and  make  a 


on  the  Left. 

feint  on  Aguadores,  a  fortified  town  at   the   mouth   of  the 

San  Juan  River,  two  miles  and  a  half  from  Morro  Castle.  At  Aguadores 
was  a  garrison  of  4,000  Spanish  troops,  and  Duffield,  with  the  aid  of  the 
"  New  York  "  and  the  little  "  Suwanee,"  was  to  engage  them  and  prevent 
the  dispatch  of  any  reinforcements  to  the  Spanish  army  before  Santiago. 
Our  war  vessels  bombarded  the  Aguadores  fort  during  the  morning,  but  did 
little  damage  to  it  beyond  knocking  down  the  flagpole.  The  Spaniards 
selected  Duffield's  advancing  force  as  their  target.  The  first  shell  fired  by 
them  killed  seventeen  Cubans  on  the  hill  above  the  railroad.  Another  shot 
mowed  down  two  files  of  fours  in  the  Thirty-third  Michigan,  killing  two 
men  and  wounding  the  others.  A  third  shell  burst  in  the 
Terrible  Destruction  c  b  contingent  and  killed  six  more.  Duffield  fired 

of  a  Spanish  Shell.  & 

several  volleys  into  the  fort  and  the  engagement  ended 
there,  the  Spaniards  making  no  effort  to  co-operate  with  the  intrenched  army 
on  San  Juan. 

The  Cubans  with  Kent  did  no  fighting,  or  perhaps  it  would  be  correct 
to  say  they  had  no  fighting  to  do.  Lawton  was  to  have  had  the  assistance 
of  several  thousand  Cubans,  but  the  solemn  truth  is  they  kept  well  out  of 
danger  and  fired  all  their  ammunition  harmlessly  into  the  air,  afterward 
sending  for  more. 

On  the  night  after  the  fierce  fighting  on  San-  Juan  our  soldiers  dug 
trenches  on  the  ridges  they  had  captured,  working  without  food  or  rest  until 
dawn,  when  the  Spaniards  were  observed  to  be  in  an  inner  line  of  intrench- 
ments  about  600  yards  nearer  Santiago,  which  was  a  mile  and  a  quarter 
distant  from  the  indomitable  fringe  of  Americans.  Generals  Wheeler  and 
Kent  had  pitched  their  headquarters  tents  in  a  hollow  under  the  ridge,  where 
they  could  give  orders  and  transact  business  without  being  interrupted  by 
flying  bullets.  But  even  in  that  apparently  secure  place  a  shot  from  a  sharp- 
shooter in  the  woods  on  the  plain  was  sometimes  heard  some  time  after  the 
battle  had  ceased. 


THE  TWENTIETH   CENTURY  AMERICA.  275 


THE  TWENTIETH  CENTURY  AMERICA. 

THE  America  which  the  closing  days  of  the  nineteenth  century  see  is 
strikingly  different  in    area  and   influence    from   that  which   the 
opening  years  of  the  century  saw.     A  hundred  years  before  the 
Spanish-American  peace  treaty  was  signed  in  Paris  on  December 
10,  1898,  the  United   States  occupied  a  comparatively  small  spot  on  the 
earth's  surface.     It  was  surrounded  on  three  sides  by  powerful  and  unfriendly 
nations.     As  at  present,  its  northern  boundary  was  Canada.     Its  western  line 
was  the  Mississippi  River  and  its  southern  border  was  Florida.     At  that  time 
Florida  comprised  not  only  the  present  State  of  that  name,  but  also  a  strip 
of  territory  extending  westward  to  the  Mississippi  River,  along  the  southern 
line  of  the  present  States  of  Mississippi  and  Alabama.     Florida,  throughout 
its  entire  length,  from  the  Atlantic  to  the   Mississippi,  belonged  to  Spain, 
and  Spain  held  the  whole  of  the  territory  of  that  river. 

Thus  England  was  on  the  United  States  northern  border,  as  at  present, 
while  Spain  shut  it  off  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  from  the  vast  empire 
west  of  the  Mississippi.  The  American  who,  a  hundred  years  ago,  went 
down  to  St.  Augustine,  Pensacola,  Mobile  or  New  Orleans,  found  himself  in 
Spanish  territory.  The  American  who  crossed  over  to  St.  Louis,  or  any 
other  point  on  the  western  side  of  the  Mississippi,  would  also  find  himself 
under  the  Spanish  flag.  Even  Natchez  was  held  by  Spain,  contrary  to  the 
treaty  of  peace  between  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States  signed  in  1783, 
until  1798.  In  the  latter  year  Spain  moved  her  boundary  line  a  short  dis- 
tance -  below  that  city.  Moreover,  England  held  Oswego,  Niagara,  Detroit, 
Mackinac  and  other  points  in  the  United  States  on  the  northern  frontier 
until  after  the  Jay  treaty  was  signed  in  1796,  and  then  it  was  exceedingly 
slow  in  evacuating  those  posts.  The  United  States  a  hundred  years  ago  had 
no  rights  which  any  of  the  great  nations  felt  bound  to  respect. 

The  imperial  dimensions  of  the  United  States  to-day  make  a  striking 
contrast    to    its    comparative    diminutiveness   a  hundred    years   ago.       By 
the  successive  acquisitions  of  Louisiana  in  1803,  Florida 
in   1819,  Texas  in   1845,  New  Mexico  and   California   in 
1848,  and  Alaska  in  1867,  the  area  of  the  United  States  at   National  Domain. 
the    beginning    of    1898   was,    approximately,    3,603,000 
square  miles.     Then  came  the  annexation  of  Hawaii,  with  6,640  square  miles 
and  iLO,ooo  population  ;  Porto  Rico,  3,670  square  miles  and  810,000  people  ; 
and   the   Philippines  and  the   islands  which  come   to  us  with  that  group, 
115,000  square  miles  and  10,000,000  population.     With  these  acquisitions 


276  MUST   DIE   FOR  THE   FLAG. 

there  were  made  in  1898  additions  of  125,310  square  miles  to  our  area  and 
10,920,000  to  our  inhabitants. 

The  United  States  had  an  area  of  828,000  square  miles  and  a  population 
of  about  five  millions  at  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century.  It  will 
start  out  in  the  twentieth  century  with  an  area  of  3,770,000  square  miles 
and  a  population  of  90,000,000.  Only  the  British,  the  Russian  and  the 
Chinese  empires  cover  a  larger  space  on  the  world's  map  than  the  United 
States.  Excluding  colonies,  China  alone,  of  all  the  world's  nations,  exceeds 
,the  United  States  in  dimensions  and  inhabitants. 

The  domain  of  the  United  States  at  the  end  of  1898  passes  through  all 
the  zones  from  the  frigid  to  the  torrid.  It  sweeps  from  a  point  far  to  the 
north  of  the  Arctic  Circle  to  a  point  far  to  the  south  of  the  Tropic  of  Cancer 
and  extends  almost  down  to  the  Equator.  The  resident  of  Alaska  sees  the 
North  Star  up  near  his  zenith.  The  inhabitant  of  the  Philippines  catches 
glimpses  of  the  Southern  Cross.  The  person  who  travels  westward  from 
the  eastern  verge  of  the  United  States  of  to-day  to  its  western  boundary  line 
will  make  a  circuit  of  almost  half  the  globe.  Except  for  a  few  days  in  mid- 
winter, the  sun  is  shining  on  some  part  of  the  United  States  through  every 
hour  of  the  twenty-four. 


MUST  DIE  FOR  THE  FLAG. 


Only  Hope  of  Salvation  For  One  Man  Who  Fought  at  Manila. 

BY  AN  OLD  COMRADE. 

This  is  the  story  of  a  man  who  fought  against  bis  country  twice,  and  is  now  fighting  for 
it  in  the  Philippines. 

I  am  glad  there  was  one  more  fight.     Unless  he  was  in   the  hospital  it 
has  given  one  man  an  opportunity  to  feel  that  he  has  done  something 
for  his  country.     You  will  not  expect  me  tell  you  his  name,  and  under 
the  circumstances  I  must  not  even  mention  his  command.     When  I 
first  knew  him  he  was  a  boy,  scarcely  more  than  seventeen  years  old.     His 
father,  a  slave  owner  in  Missouri,  was  a  Southern  sympathizer  and  afterward  a 
Southern  soldier.     He  was  one  of   Shelby's  men,  and  was   wounded  in  a 
skirmish.     He  was  popular  in  the  army,  and,  unlike   most  of  our  men,  he 
always  had  plenty  of  money.     After  he  was  wounded  he  employed  a  nurse 
and   insisted  upon   following  his  men  until   Shelby   positively  forbade  it. 
Then  his  son  was  sent  for,  and  he  undertook  to  take  his  father  home.     The 


MUST   DIE  FOR  THE   FLAG.  277 

State-  swarmed  with  soldiers  of  both  armies.  The  journey  to  the  home  of 
the  wounded  man  in  Galloway  County  was  tedious.  The  father  and  son  and 
nurse  were  halted  a  few  hours  before  the  journey  was  finished.  The 
wounded  man  declined  a  summons  to  surrender  and  several  shots  were 
exchanged.  The  excitement  caused  the  death  of  the  wounded  man.  The 
man  in  command  of  the  Union  cavalry  permitted  the  son  to  take  the  dead 
body  home.  The  wife  of  the  Southern  soldier  did  not  know  his  fate  until 
she  saw  his  body  on  an  improvised  stretcher,  being  carried  up  the  lane 
leading  to  her  house.  The  shock  killed  her.  The  daughter  of  the  house, 
two  years  the  senior  of  her  brother,  lost  her  reason  at  the  dual  burial,  and  in 
less  than  a  year  she  died. 

The  son  and  brother  gave  the  remaining  slaves  their  freedom,  and  as 
soon  as  he  could  he  joined  Shelby,  who  was  then  in  Texas.  The  South  was 
whipped  then.  But  a  few  skirmishes  were  fought,  and  in  every  one  of  them 
that  boy  acted  like  a  fiend.  He  went  with  us  to  Mexico.  He  returned  with 
those  who  came  back,  and  I  don't  mind  telling  you  now  that  he  became  a 
black  flag  follower  until  that,  too,  at  last  trailed  in  the  dust. 

Once,  and  only  once,  he  went  to  his  old  house.  He  found  it  destroyed. 
The  ruins  were  overgrown,  and  he  employed  a  stranger  to  show  him  the 
graves  of  his  father,  mother  and  sister.  The  property  had 


been   confiscated,  and  later  sold  for  unpaid  taxes.     The     *     eu"v"  °f 

All  He  Held  Dear. 

boy,  then  a  man,  said  he  did  not  want  to  regain  the  home- 
stead, if  he  could.     He  spoke  an  oath  which  few  men,  I  reckon,  ever,  spoke 
in  this  country.     In  the  hearing  of  a  lawyer  who  told  me  about  it,  he  raised 
his  right  hand  and  said  : 

"  I  don't  want  to  own  anything  in   such  a  --  country  as  this." 

He  went  away.  His  history  from  that  time  until  the  spring  of  1898  is 
a  mystery  to  me.  He  came  to  my  house  the  day  after  the  news  of  the  loss 
of  the  "  Maine,"  and  we  talked  over  the  situation  in  Cuba.  He  was  as 
immobile  as  he  always  was.  I  said  that  I  was  sorry  I  had  but  one  arm  ;  that 
I  would  like  to  go  once  more  to  war.  I  said  that  I  would  like  to  fight  for 
my  country  united.  He  looked  at  me  as  a  man  looks  when  he  is  at  enmity 
with  the  world  and  its  Creator,  and  for  a  moment  he  lost  his  old  control.  As 
he  was  leaving  he  said  to  me  : 

"Jim,  I'm  glad  you've  but  one  arm,  'cause  we  might  meet.  I  am  going 
to  Cuba  to  join  the  Spaniards.  I  am  not  even  with  this  -  country 
yet." 

I  cannot  explain  to  you  the  feeling  his  talk  stirred  within  me.  I  had 
fought  against  the  country  once,  but  I  can  truthfully  say  I  never  cursed  it. 
And  he  was  the  first  man  I  ever  did  hear  curse  it,  and  I  knew  how  earnest 


MUST  DIE   FOR  THE   FLAG. 


he  was.  Still  I  tried  to  reason  him  out  of  his  determination.  I  knew  it 
was  useless,  but  I  could  not  have  him  go  without  an  effort  to  dissuade  him. 
That  was  the  last  I  saw  of  him  until  the  soldiers  began  coming  back  from 
Cuba  last  summer. 

I  was  in  San  Francisco  when  the  transports  were  loading  with  soldiers 
and  munitions  for  Manila.  I  could  give  you  the  date  and  the  name  of  the 
transport  and  the  command,  but  it  wouldn't  do.  Two  days  before  the  sail- 
ing I  was  at  the  camp  where  a  lot  of  Western  boys  were  waiting  for  the  word 
to  leave.  I  knew  some  of  them.  When  I  was  leaving  one  followed  me, 
and  when  we  were  alone  he  asked,  "Jim,  do  you  know  me?" 

Well,  never  mind  how  I  came  to  recognize  him.  I  went  home  with 
him  and  stayed  all  night.  He  told  me  the  story. of  his  part  in  the  war  in 
Cuba.  It  was  terrible.  Several  times  I  asked  him  to  stop  talking.  One 
thing  he  told  me  I  can  never  forget. 

"Jim,"  he  said,  "whenever  I  did  anything  I  shut  my  eyes.  But  I 
always  cursed.  But  somehow  it  seemed  as  if  I  was  pursued.  Nowhere 
could  I  get  an  hour,  not  a  minute  of  rest.  I  was  getting  revenge,  but  at 
what  a  price !" 

Then  he  told  me  how  he  quit  the  Spanish,  and  how  he  went  into  a 
camp  of  our  soldiers  as  a  cook,  and  then  to  the  hospital  as  a  nurse.  And 
then  he  came  back,  enlisted  and  sailed  for  Manila.  I  see  that  his  regiment 
covered  itself  with  glory.  I  know  he  was  there  if  he  could  stand.  He  said 
to  me  as  I  told  him  good-bye: 

"Jim,  my  only  hope  of  salvation  is  to  die  for  the  flag  I  have  cursed." 

I  have  not  seen  his  name  among  the  killed  or  wounded,  so  I  can  have 
no  doubt  he  is  still  fighting  for  the  flag  that  he  expressed  a  hope  to  die  for. 


Tc 

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THK  OCCUPATION   OF   HAVANA.  279 

THE  OCCUPATION  OF  HAVANA. 

Impressive  Ceremonies  Attending  the  Transfer  of  the  Cuban  Capital 

to  the  American  Army. 

UNDER  the  terms  of  the  protocol  of  August   12,  and  the  peace  treaty 
of  December  10,  1898,  Spanish  sovereignty  should  cease  in  Cuba, 
Porto  Rico  and  the  Philippines,  and  by  particular  agreement  made 
with  the  American  evacuation  commissioners  December  27,  Spain 
should  lower  her  flag  from  Morro  Castle,  and  from  the  governor-general's 
palace,  Havana,  and  surrender  the  city  to  the  representative  of  the  American 
Government,  the  date  of  which  transfer  being  fixed  for  January  i,  1899. 
The    ceremonies   attending   this    important    event   were    very    impressive, 
although  slightly  marred  by  acts  of  Spanish  hauteur,  which,  however,  are 
almost  pardonable  when  the  awful  humiliation  involved  is  considered. 

Captain-General  Castellanos  failed  to  make  good  his  promise  to  meet 
the  moment  with  fortitude,  for  after  the  general  program  of  surrender  had 
been  agreed  to,  the  Spaniards  violated  their  promise  by  lowering  the  crimson 
and  gold  flag  that  floated  above  the  palace  two  hours  before  the  time  fixed, 
and  disappearing  with  it.  As  noon  approached  it  was  learned  that  no  other 
flag  had  been  provided  and  when  Major  Butler  protested  he  was  met  with 
shrugs  that  meant  everything  or  nothing.  Then  as  the  Spanish  and  Ameri- 
can officers  gathered  in  the  reception  room  of  the  palace  for  the  final  cere- 
monies, it  was  seen  that  while  the  Americans  were  in  full  dress  uniforms 
the  Spanish  wore  fatigue  uniforms  without  side  arms.  However,  they 
suffered  in  comparison  for  their  lack  of  courtesy.  The  Americans,  physically 
giants  anyway,  led  by  Brooke,  who  towered  above  Castellanos  as  an  oak  over 
a  weeping  willow,  had  their  stature  increased  by  their  toggery.  Had  it  not 
been  for  their  discourteous  conduct  the  Spaniards  would  have  had  general 
sympathy  instead  of  what  approached  contempt. 

After  the  ceremony  General  Castellanos,  instead  of  bidding  his  friends 
good-bye,  led  an  immediate  and  tearful  procession  to  the  water  front,  where 
he    took  a   launch    for  the   steamer  "  Ribat,"  vowing  he 
would  never  a^ain  set  foot  on  Cuban  soil. 

Procession. 

In  spite  of  these  incidents  the  ceremony  was  impressive 

and  one  never  to  be  forgotten  by  those  who  saw  it.  A  cordon  of  United 
States  troops  of  the  Tenth  Infantry  kept  all  without  passes  two  blocks  from 
the  palace,  m  front  of  which  six  companies  were  marched.  Drawn  up  along 


280  THE   OCCUPATION   OF  HAVANA. 

directly  in  front  of  the  palace  and  facing  the  American  soldiers  were  two 
companies  of  the  Leon  battalion,  with  Colonel  Raffael  Salamanca  in 
command. 

Just  at  half-past  eleven  o'clock  Major-Generals  Wade  and  Butler,  with 
their  staffs,  rode  down  Obispo  street,  and  as  they  wheeled  into  the  palace 
plaza  the  Eighth  Infantry  band  with  Jacob  Haeft,  who  is  six  feet  and  six 
inches  tall,  as  drum  major,  struck  up  the  Royal  March  of  Cadiz  in  which  the 
Spanish  bugle  corps  joined.  Next  to  arrive  were  Major-Generals  Brooke 
and  Ludlow  and  staffs  in  carriages.  As  they  stepped  to  the  street  "The 
Stars  and  Stripes  Forever"  was  played.  Next  to  arrive  were  Generals 
Chaffee,  Humphreys,  Davis  and  Keifer,  who  were  honored  with  a  fanfare 
from  the  Spanish  trumpeters. 

Perhaps  the  most  dramatic  incident  of  the  morning  and  of  more  moment 

was  the  arrival  of  the  Cuban   generals,  Rodriguez,  Menocal,  Vidal,  Lacret, 

Cardenas,  Agramonte,  Medarse,  Valiente  and  Jose  Gomez. 

The  Americans  had  been  saluted  by  the  Spanish  officers 
Incident. 

as  they  arrived  and  greeted  by  Spanish  trumpets.  The 
Cubans  received  no  salute.  No  blare  of  trumpets  announced  their  appear- 
ance. From  the  Americans,  however,  they  received  every  courtesy  and  the 
Second  Illinois  band  played  in  their  honor  a  medley  which  sounded  much 
like  the  Cuban  national  hymn.  Last  to  arrive  was  Major-General  Fitzhugh 
Lee  with  his  staff  and  guard,  making  a  most  imposing  appearance  as  they 
encircled  the  palace. 

By  this  time  it  was  approaching  the  hour  of  noon.  General  Brooke  had 
sent  word  to  Major  Butler  not  to  insist  upon  having  the  Spanish  flag  raised. 
Generals  Brooke  and  Wade  led  the  procession  up  the  wide  but  broken  marble 
steps  running  from  the  central  court  of  the  palace  to  the  reception  room  on 
the  second  floor.  Following  them  were  Generals  Butler,  Lee,  Ludlow, 
Humphreys,  Chaffee,  Davis  and  Keifer,  and  then  the  staff  officers  and  the 
invited  guests. 

General  Castellanos  advanced  and  shook  hands  coldly  with  Generals 
Brooke  and  Wade.  The  Spaniards  were  gathered  in  small  groups  at  the 
south  end  of  the  room,  General  Castellanos  being  supported  by  his  two  sons 
and  aides  and  Colonels  Girauti,  Benitez  and  Galvez,  with  a  few  others  of 
Iess2r  rank.  The  Americans  made  an  imposing  group  at  the  north  of  the 
room.  After  their  positions  had  been  taken  General  Lacret  marched  into  the 
room  with  his  associates  of  the  insurgent  army.  They  were  given  a  position 
of  vantage  at  right  angles  to  others  and  half  facing  them.  Behind  the 
American  generals  stood  Acting  British  Consul  Jerome,  who  has  represented 
the  United  States  in  Havana.  With  the  Spaniards  stood  French  Consul 


THE   OCCUPATION   OF  HAVANA.  281 

Martin.  He  was  the  only  one  in  the  group  in  full  dress  uniform.  It  was 
noted,  as  places  were  taken,  that  Marquis  de  Montero,  a  member  of  the 
Spanish  Evacuation  Commission,  was  absent. 

Promptly  as  the  big  clock  in  the  palace  struck  the  first  note  of  the 
twelfth  hour  came  the  thunder  of  cannon  from  Cabanas  across  the  harbor. 
Three  distinct  echoes  followed,  so  that  the  second  gun  sounded  before  the 
first  had  ceased  to  reverberate.  A  Spanish  bugle  sounded  a  note  in  the  court- 
way  below,  and  Captain-General  Castellanos,  pale  to  sallowness,  advanced, 
meeting  General  Wade  in  the  centre  of  the  room. 

There  was  a  moment  of  hushed  expectancy  and  all  listened  for  the 
strangest  words  ever  pronounced  within  those  grim  walls  that  had  known 
Spanish  power  and  glory  ami  were  now  to  know  Spanish  humiliation.  While 
his  conduct  had  been  petty  f.vr  a  man  in  his  position,  there  is  no  doubt  that 
General  Castellanos  felt  deeply.  For  a  moment  he  was  absolutely  unable  to 
proceed.  Tears  rolled  down  his  stern  old  face,  and  when  he  spoke  his  voice 
was  broken  with  emotion.  He  spoke  in  Spanish  and  beautifully,  as  follows: 

GENTLEMEN  : — In  compliance  with  the  Treaty  of  Paris,  the  agreement  of  the  military 
commissioners  of  the  island  and  the  orders  of  my  king,  at  this  moment  of  noon,  January  i, 
1899,  there  ceases  in  Cuba  Spanish  sovereignty  and  begins  that  of  the  United  States.  In  con- 
clusion, I  declare  you  in  command  of  the  island,  with  the  object  that  you  may  exercise  it, 
declaring  to  you  that  1  will  be  the  first  in  respecting  it.  Peace  having  been  established  between 
our  respective  governments,  I  promise  you  to  give  all  due  respect  to  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment, and  I  hope  that  the  good  relations  already  existing  between  our  armies  will  continue  until 
the  termination  of  the  evacuation  of  those  under  my  orders  in  this  territory. 

t 

At  the  conclusion  of  his  speech  Captain  Hart,  attached  to  the  American 
Commission,  advanced,  and,  taking  from  General  Castellanos  a  roll  of  manu- 
script, translated  that,  which  the  Spanish  captain-general  had  just  said. 
Captain  Hart  is  almost  as  large  a  man  as  peneral  Brooke,  and  he  presented  a 
heroic  figure  acting  as  th  i  instrument  through  which  the  transfer  of 
sovereignty  was  made.  He  was  pale,  too,  but  his  voice  was  unbroken,  and 
as  he  read  every  one  within  the  room  heard  his  voice. 

At  the  conclusion  of  Captain  Hart's  reading,  General  Wade  turned  to 
General  Brooke  and  in  a  dignified  manner  announced  as  beautifully  as  pos- 
sible that  the  command  of  the  American  forces  in  Cuba  henceforward  rested 
with  him.  General  Brooke  spoke  feelingly,  Captain  Hart  translating,  accept- 
ing the  responsibility  and  expressing  the  good  will  of  the  American  govern- 
ment and  the  people  for  Spain. 

In  the  meantime  a  signal  had  been  given  and  Major  Butler  raised  the 
Stars  and  Stripes  over  the  palace,  which  ceased  at  that  moment  to  represent 
Spanish  power  and  oppression.  As  the  flag  floated  in  the  breeze  two  bands 


282  THE  OCCUPATION  OF   HAVANA. 

stationed  in  the  plaza  played  the  "  Star  Spangled  Banner,"  while  the  troops 
presented  arms  in  salute.  From  thousands  of  throats  a  song  of  welcome 
came  and  whether  it  was  heartfelt  or  not,  which  the  future  only  can  tell,  it 
was  certainly  long  and  loud. 

Thunders  of  salutes  from  the  harbor  still  continued  to  roll  over  the  city, 
and  from  every  available  staff  the  American  flag  was  unfolded  to  receive  the 
plaudits  of  the  people,  who,  during  the  morning  had  remained  within  doors, 
but  who  were  now  pouring  into  the  streets  literally  in  thousands. 

General    Castellanos  had    informed  the  Americans  that  he  would  be 

happy  to  receive  anyone  who  might  come  to  pay  his  respects,  but  at  the  last 

moment  his  heart  failed  him.     As  the  simple  ceremonies 

General  Castellanos  dosed    fch       officers    fell    to    the   right    and   left,  opening  a 
Bowed  with  Grief. 

passage  to  the  throne  room,  a  tong  which  Castellanos  and 

his  aides  passed.  Immediately  strapping  on  their  side  arms  they  filed  solemnly 
down  to  the  plaza,  which  they  crossed,  accompanied  by  General  Clous  and 
Captain  Hart,  to  the  harbor  front,  where  they  took  launches  for  the  steam- 
ship "  Ribat,"  which  latter  took  General  Castellanos  to  Matanzas. 

As  they  departed  the  American  troops  all  stood  at  attention.  No  voice 
was  raised  in  exultation,  the  grief  of  the  conquered  being  respected.  As  the 
party  approached  the  water  front  a  woman  appeared  upon  the  balcony  of  a 
building,  shook  out  the  Spanish  flag,  and  in  shrill  tones  cried  "Viva  Espana." 

General  Castellanos  and  his  aides  halted,  saluted  their  flag,  and  with 
tear-broken  voices  gave  three  feeble  "  Vivas."  As  they  entered  their  launch 
they  were  sobbing  as  though  broken-hearted.  General  Castellanos'  last  words 
after  bidding  good-bye  to  General  Clous  were  that  he  should  never  again  set 
foot  on  Cuban  soil,  but  should  live  while  at  Matanzas  and  Cienfuegos  on 
board  the  "  Ribat." 

After  the  withdrawal  of  the  Spanish  officials  General  Lacret  made  a 
brief  speech  in  which  he  pledged  the  loyalty  of  the  Cuban  troops  and  people 
in  giving  every  assistance  to  the  American  forces  in  establishing  in  Cuba  a 
free  and  independent  government.  General  Brooke  responded,  evading  the 
delicate  reference  to  Cuban  independence. 

"  I  have  been  sent  by  my  government,"  he  said,  "  to  establish  in  Cuba 

that  order  which  has  been  unknown  in  the  island  for  years.     To  do  this  it 

is  necessary   that  I  shall  have  your  support.     In  you  I 

Jrooke's   pjace  t]ie  greatest  trust.   From  you  I  expect  extraordinary 

Co-operation.      assistance.     From  the  people  I  expect  co-operation." 

As  the  Cuban  generals  withdrew,  representatives  of 

the  Ayuntamiento  were  presented  to  General  Brooke,  who  signified  his 
desire  that  they  should  act  in  full  accord  with  the  American  plans  as  made 


THE   OCCUPATION   OF   HAVANA.  283 

public  by  him.  The  faculty  of  the  university  appeared  in  full  gowns  and 
pledged  their  heartiest  support  to  the  new  order  of  affairs.  General  Brooke 
thanked  them  and  expressed  a  desire  that  their  work  should  proceed  with- 
out interruption. 

The  most  spectacular  incident  within  the  palace  was  when  the  bom- 
baras,  Havana's  firemen,  dressed  in  full  uniform,  crowded  in  the  reception 
room  unexpectedly  and  gave  three  rousing  cheers  for  "  Ix>s  Americanos  !  " 
They  captured  General  Brooke's  heart  and  the  genial  old  general  shook 
hands  all  round  with  them. 

A  hurried  inspection  of  the  palace  was  made,  showing  that  the  Span- 
iards before  their  departure  had  stripped  the  rooms  of  everything  save  the 
broken  lot  of  furniture.  The  pictures  had  been  taken  from  the  walls  with  the 
exception  of  a  portrait  of  Spain's  boy  king,  which  still  graces  the  walls  of 
the  throne  room.  Early  in  the  afternoon  Captain  Mott  placed  a  guard 
about  the  palace,  closing  it  to  the  public. 

General  Lacret,  who  acted  as  spokesman  for  the  Cuban  officers,  assured 
the  United  States  Military  Governor  that  everything  in  the  power  of  the 
Cuban  military  officials  would  be  done  to  help  the  Americans  to  restore  Cuba 
to  a  condition  of  peace  and  prosperity.  This  speech  was  translated  by 
Captain  Page,  of  Virginia. 

It  was  scarcely  half-past  twelve  o'clock  when  General  Brooke  and  his 
staff  left  the  palace  for  the  Hotel  Inglaterra.  Commodore  Cromwell  and 
Captains  Sigsbee,  Berry,  Cowles  and  Foss,  of  the  United  States  squadron, 
arrived  a  few  minutes  after,  too  late  to  pay  their  respects.  The  only  woman 
who  witnessed  the  scene  in  the  salon  was  Mrs.  John  Adams  Fair,  of  Boston, 
who  was  ushered  into  the  palace  by  mistake.  When  she  was  about  to  retire 
Colonel  Gelpi,  the  captain-general's  chief  of  staff,  begged  her  to  remain.  All 
the  other  ladies  were  assigned  places  in  the  balcony  of  the  barracks  over- 
looking the  plaza. 

The  parade  of  the  United  States  troops  showed  the  feeling  of  the  Cuban 
element  of  the  population.  The  march  was  from  El  Vedado,  along  the 

Achia  Del  Norte,  the  Prado  and  Central  Park  to  Cerro  and 

•i-i  1-1          i  j  The  Parade  of 

Quemados.     About  every  fourth  house  displayed  some  dec-  flmerican  Troops 

oration,  a  palm  branch,  a  bit  of  red,  white  and  blue  bunting 
or  a  flag.  There  was  no  general  expression  of  public  rejoicing,  though  Major- 
General  Lee,  who  rode  at  the  head  of  the  column  on  a  gray  charger,  received 
a  personal  ovation  along  nearly  the  entire  route.  Major-General  Brooke, 
Major-General  Ludlow  and  the  other' generals  reviewed  the  corps,  standing 
on  a  bench  in  front  of  the  Hotel  Inglaterra  and  surrounded  by  their  staffs. 


284  THE  OCCUPATION  OF  HAVANA. 

Every  man  in  the  last  company  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Sixty-first 
Indiana  infantry,  as  he  entered  Central  Park,  drew  from  under  his  uniform  a 
small  Cuban  flag  and  waved  it.  The  Cubans  went  nearly  wild  with  cheers 
and  excitement,  and  General  Lee  sent  Lieutenant-Colonel  Curtis  Guild,  Jr.,  to 
order  the  Indianians  to  put  away  the  flags,  which  they  did.  It  was  reported 
that  the  entire  company  was  under  arrest.  General  Lee  turned  in  after  the 
column  passed,  the  crowd  pressing  close  around  his  horse,  shaking  his  hand 
and  making  other  demonstrations  of  affectionate  interest.  His  orderly  was 
heavily  burdened  with  flowers  for  the  general. 

When  Lieutenant  Lee,  son  of  General  Lee,  with  Lieutenant  Jones  and 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Livermore,  of  the  army  ;  Ensign  Webster,  Boatswain 
Hill  and  Gunner  Applegate,  of  the  cruiser  "  Brooklyn,"  representing  the 

navy,  entered  Cabanas,  they  found  no   Spanish  flag  flying 
Cabanas  to  Salute  from  the  staff  and  the  halyards  were  tangled.    Two  sailors 

from  the  "  Brooklyn "  rove  off  new  halyards,  and  Lieu- 
tenant Lee  requested  the  Spanish  officer  in  charge,  Lieutenant  Cache,  to 
hoist  the  Spanish  flag,  that  the  Americans  might  salute  it.  Lieutenant 
Cache  was  about  to  do  this  when  the  governor  of  the  fortress  said  it  would 
be  unnecessary.  Then,  on  a  signal  from  the  "  Brooklyn,  the  sailors  fired 
twenty-one  guns  at  Cabanas,  after  which  Lieutenant  Lee,  who  was  in  full 
dress,  hoisted  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  the  Spaniards  firing  twenty-one  guns  in 
salute,  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Cavestany  handing  the  keys  of  the  fortress 
and  an  inventory  of  its  contents  to  the  American  officer. 

At  Morro  Castle,  Lieutenant  Wade,  son  of  General  Wade,  raised  the 
Stars  and  Stripes,  and  Quartermaster-Sergeant  Mersoig  hauled  down  the 
Spanish  flag  amid  cheers.  About  noon  a  Cuban  produced  a  spectacular 
effect  by  letting  loose  a  big  Cuban  flag  from  a  kite  string  high  over  Morro 
Castle,  where  it  flew  all  the  afternoon.  The  United  States  Military  Commis- 
sioners cabled  to  President  McKinley  at  12.30,  and  in  reply  General  Wade, 

president  of  the  commission,  received  the  following  : 

President  McKin-    J 

ley's  Message.  I  congratulate  the  commission  upon  the  successful  termination  of  its 

mission,  and  the  peaceful  occupation  of  Cuba  by  the  United  States. 

WILLIAM  MCKINLEY. 

General  Castellanos  was  escorted  to  the  wharf  by  Generals  Clous  and 
Chaffee.  As  he  stepped  into  his  launch  he  wept.  Crowds  of  Spaniards,  men 
and  women,  all  dressed  in  black,  gathered  upon  the  sea  wall  and  silently 
watched  the  fleet  pass  out.  There  was  not  a  shout,  not  a  handkerchief 
waved.  Men  and  women  wept  together, 


GALLANT  CAPTAIN  LEARY.  285 

GALLANT  CAPTAIN  LEARY. 


How  He  Defended  the  Flag  and  Defended  American  Interests 

at  Samoa. 

CAPTAIN  RICHARP  P.  LEARY  has  been  appointed  by  President 
McKinley  governor  of  the  island  of  Guam  of  the  Ladrone  group 
and  departed  for  his  far-off  post  of  duty  on  the  auxiliary  cruiser 
"Yosemite,"  February  i,  1899. 

Guam  is  the  principal  island  of  the  Ladrones,  which  were  formally 
under  the  general  government  of  the  Philippines.  There  is  but  one  town  in 
all  the  Ladrones,  San  Ignacio  de  Agaua,  and  that  is  situated  on  Guam.  The 
population  of  the  Ladrones  only  amounts  to  about  ten  thousand  souls.  It 
consists  of  descendants  from  the  original  inhabitants,  called  by  the  Spaniards 
Chammorros ;  of  Tagal  settlers  from  the  Philippines,  and  of  a  mixed  race 
formed  by  the  union  of  Spaniards  and  Chammorros. 

Captain  Leary  is  well  .known  in  navy  circles  as  a  brave  and  efficient 
officer  and  a  man  of  remarkable  executive  ability.  He  hails  from  Maryland, 
and  entered  the  Naval  Academy  in  1860.  During  the  civil  war  he  was 
attached  to  the  blockading  squadron  off  Charleston.  During  the  Spanish 
war  it  was  again  his  fate  to  be  engaged  in  blockading  duties,  and  he  was 
placed  in  command  of  the  "  San  Francisco,"  Commodore  Howell'«  flagship. 
Previous  to  his  command  of  the  "  San  Francisco  "  he  was  the  commander  of 
the  ram  u  Katahdin."  In  1888  Captain  Leary  was  in  command  of  the 
"  Adams  "  at  Samoa  during  those  troublous  times,  and  performed  a  deed  there 
that  deserves  to  live  in  song  and  story. 

History  repeats  itself  even  in  Samoa,  and  the  same  cause  was  behind 
the  troubles  in  1887—88  as  is  behind  them  to-day — the  desire  of  Germany  to 

bring  about  German  control. 

Samoa  in  1888. 
Malietoa  Laupepa,  who  had  been  recognized  as  King 

of  all  Samoa  by  an  agreement  between  Germany,  Great  Britain  and  the 
United  States  in  1881,  was  deported  from  Samoa  by  a  German  warship  in 
1887,  on  a  flimsy  pretext  of  having  insulted  the  German  Government. 
Tamasese,  a  rebel,  was  set  up  in  his  stead.  A  civil  war  then  broke  out 
between  Tamasese  and  Mataafa,  the  chief  of  the  loyalist  party  and  a  relative 
of  the  exiled  king. 

While  this  war  was  raging,  in  1888,  there  were  but  two  foreign  war- 
ships in  Sarnoan  waters — the  "  Adler,"  a  German  vessel  and  the  "  Adams," 


286  _  GALLANT   CAPTAIN    LEARY. 

a  small  and  obsolete  man-of-war,  commanded  by  Captain  Leary,  then  bearing 
the  rank  of  commander.  The  "  Adler"  was  by  far  the  more  powerful  ship, 
but  the  strength  of  the  United  States  Navy  has  never  been  in  the  superiority 
of  her  ships,  only  in  the  superiority  of  the  officers  and  of  the  men  behind 
the  guns. 

The  two  captains  had  several  interchanges  of  courtesy.     On  one  occasion 
the  "  Adler  "  steamed  past  the  American  ship,  and  at  her  foremast  was  a1 

native  chief,   bound  with  stout  cord   to  the  mast.     The 
Some  Incisive        ~ 
Messages.         German  saluted  as  he  passed,  but  no  answer  came  back 

from  the  American  ship.  Soon  the  German  came  to  a 
standstill  and  a  boat  was  dispatched  to  ascertain  why  the  American  had  not 
answered  the  salute.  Upon  this,  Captain  Leary  sent  back  to  the  Teuton  this 
characteristic  reply  :  "  The  United  States  does  not  salute  vessels  engaged  in 
the  slave  carrying  trade." 

Soon  afterward  Captain  Leary  again  had  occasion  to  pay  his  respects  to 
the  captain  of  the  "  Adler."  While  the  war  was  raging  between  Tamasese 
and  Mataafa,  the  German  captain  made  his  war  vessel  a  sort  of  tow  boat  for 
Tamesese's  war  canoes,  and  trained  his  guns  upon  villages'  occupied  only  by 
women  and  children.  Many  villages  were  entirely  destroyed.  Captain 
Leary  sent  this  just,  if  incisive,  remonstrance  to  the  "  Adler's "  captain : 
"  Such  action,  especially  after  the  Tamasese  party  had  been  represented  as  a 
strong  government  net  needing  the  armed  support  of  a  foreign  power, 
appears  to  be  a  violation  of  the  principles  of  international  law,  as  well  as  a 
violation  of  the  generally  recognized  laws  of  humanity."  Still  another  vigo- 
rous protest  was  sent  later  when  the  crew  of  the  "  Adler "  fired  upon  a 
canoe  filled  with  unarmed  natives.  But  Captain  Leary  did  more  than 
protest;  he  performed  a  gallant  action,  which  has  been  but  little  com- 
mented upon,  and  which  has  never  received  the  recognition  that  it  deserves. 

On  the  evening  of  November  14,  1888,  a  messenger  came  to  Captain 
Leary  from  Mataafa  with  the  information  that  the  German  warship  was,  in 

Leary  Upholds      tlie  dawn  °f  the  following  da>r>  S°'mS  to  bombard  a  strong- 
the  Flag.  "       hold  which  Mataafa  had  established  on  land  under  Ameri- 
can protection.     That   night   Captain  Leary  quietly   got 
steam  up  without   attracting  the  German's  attention,  and  had   his  anchor 
chains  muffled.     All  hands  were  called  to  quarters  before  dawn.    At  daybreak 
the    "  Adler's "   anchors  came  up,    and  she    made  for    the  threatened    fort. 
Silently  the  anchors  of  the  "  Adams  "  came  up  also,  and  to  the  amazement 
of  the  German  the  Yankee  craft  put  after  him  with  a  full  head  of  steam, 
and  darted  in  between  him  and  the  shore.     Captain  Leary  cleared  his  ship 
for  action  and  the  German  followed  suit.     A  shot  from  either  ship  would 


GALLANT  CAPTAIN  LEARY. 


287 


now  have  precipitated  war  between  the  two  nations.  When  opposite  the 
threatened  fort  the  German  dropped  his  anchors,  and  the  Yankee  did  like- 
wise, taking  care  to  get  between  the  "Adlef"  and  the  shore.  Captain 
Leary  then  sent  this  note  to  the  German  captain  : 

"  I  have  the  honor  to  inform  you  that,  having  received  information  that 
American  property  in  the  Latogo  vicinity  of  Laulii,  Lotoanun  and  Solo  Solo 
is  liable  to  be  invaded  this  day,  I  am  here  for  the  purpose  of  protecting  the 
same." 

The  crews  on  the  two  ships  stood  at  their  guns  for  hours,  but  the 
German  captain  made  no  attempt  to  fire  upon  the  fort.  Finally  he  started 
on  a  cruise  down  the  coast,  but  Captain  Leary  followed  him  and  would  not 
be  shaken  off.  The  two  ships  came  at  length  into  harbor  again,  and  the 
American  had  gained  his  point  of  preventing  the  German  from  firing  upon 
the  fort.  Captain  Leary  upheld  the  honor  of  his  country's  flag  at  a  time 
when  our  government  seemed  to  take  but  a  half-hearted  interest  in  Samoan 
affairs.  He  was  far  from  cable  communications,  and  on  his  own  responsi- 
bility thus  bravely  defied  and  held  in  check  a  warship  far  superior  to  his 
own.  For  his  brave  and  determined  stand  Captain  Leary  received  the 
thanks  of  the  Legislature  of  Maryland,  his  native  State,  but  the  government 
took  no  action  in  the  matter. 


288        OUR  DEWEY,  AS  VIEWED   BY   AN  ENGLISH  OFFICER. 


OUR  DEWEY,  AS  VIEWED  BY  AN  ENGLISH  OFFICER. 


A  Man  to  be  Ranked  with  the  Greatest  in  War,  and  the 
Best  in  Peace. 

BY  CAPTAIN  EDWARD  FRASER, 

(Of  Her  Majesty's  Imperial  Forces. ) 

IN  the  first  week  of  our  arrival  at  Manila,  on  the  "Empress  of  India," 
I  was  introduced  to  Admiral  Dewey  by  the  British  Consul,  and  had  the 
honor  of  dining  with  him  on  board  the  "  Olympia  "  at  the  customary 
Saturday  evening  banquet. 

It  was  a  unique  affair.  Admiral  Dewey  occupied  the  seat  of  honor, 
but,  despite  his  efforts  at  cheerfulness,  he  appeared  to  be  like  a  man  on  whom 
a  deadly  lethargy  had  fallen.  His  face  was  ashen  and  his  skin  seemed  to  be 
drawn  over  it  like  wrinkled  parchment.  His  hair  was  white  as  snow,  and 
was  thin  and  straggling,  particularly  over  the  forehead.  As  he  nervously 
handled  his  wineglass,  the  contents  of  which,  I  noticed,  he  scarcely  touched, 
I  could  not  help  observing  that  his  hand  was  thin  and  claw-like,  the  skin 
presenting  the  same  unhealthy  appearance  as  that  upon  the  face. 

An  officer  sitting  next  to  me  said  that  the  admiral  had  changed  terribly 

in  a  few  brief  months  and  had  lost  nearly  twenty  pounds  in  weight.     This 

same  officer  said  that   Dewey  was  about  sixty  years  old. 

Effects  of  Work     j  thought  I  was  looking  at  a  man  past  threescore  and  ten. 

and  Anxiety  on  .  .... 

the  Admiral.       O*  course,  when  I  saw  him  then  it  was  after  a  fatiguing 
day's  work  in  a  broiling  sun,  and  this  may  have  accounted 
for  his  almost  entire  lack  of  energy  and  apparent  indifference  to  the  gay  scene 
around  him. 

An  officer  on  the  right  of  the  admiral,  whose  name  I  forget,  took  the 
part  of  chairman,  and  the  usual  toasts  were  right  merrily  made.  The  ban- 
quet broke  up  at  an  early  hour,  and  we  all,  including  the  admiral,  retired  to 
the  smoking-room.  It  was  while  in  this  room  that  I  had  my  chat  with  the 
great  naval  officer. 

He  asked  me  a  few  questions  about  myself,  and  I  hazarded  some  ques- 
tions in  return  as  to  his  health,  the  prospects  of  the  close  of  the  war,  and 
its  ultimate  result.  He  said  that  his  health  was  none  too  robust,  but  that 


OUR  DEWEY,  AS  VIEWED  BY  AN  ENGLISH  OFFICER.       289 

when  at  work  he  scarcely  noticed  his  indisposition.  Climatic  influences,  he 
observed,  were  against  his  noble  boys.  "  It  makes  my  heart  bleed,"  he  said, 
"  when  I  see  my  men  dying  like  dogs  while  waiting  for  some  decisive  action 
which  I  am  sure  will  end  this  war  as  we  would  wish."  This  was  during  the 
period  of  uncertainty  at  Washington.  When  I  intimated,  as  delicately  as  I 
could,  that  possibly  it  would  not  be  unwise  on  his  part  to  take  a  rest  for  a 
month  or  two  in  some  less  dangerous  climate,  he  replied  almost  roughly : 

"  Tut,  tut,  Captain  ;  my  work  is  not  finished  here  yet.  It's  at  a  stage 
when  I  believe  no  other  man  can  handle  it.  If  I  thought  otherwise  I  should 
perhaps  feel  prompted  to  take  a  rest." 

What  Admiral  Dewey  told  me  in  private  conversation  in  regard  to  the 
prospects  of  a  close  of  the  war  I  do  not  feel  justified  in  divulging. 

For  a  few  brief  minutes  he  talked  animatedly  on  military  life  in  India 
as  I  had  experienced  it,  but  collapsed  like  a  man  of  straw  just  -before  the 
time  of  breaking  up.     A  respectful,  and,  it  seemed  to  me, 
almost  pitying  silence  fell  on  the  long  room  as  he  slowly    Worn  Dow">  but 
r^-AA-  •   «-  •    1,4-    1   A     W«»  Not  Ask  for 

rose,  and,  bidding  all  a  courteous  and  quiet  good-night,  left         vacation. 

accompanied  by  his  aide.  Turning  to  an  officer — I  believe 
he  was  Lieutenant  Smithson,  of  San  Francisco — I  remarked  on  the  admiral's 
enfeebled  condition.  He  said,  "  Yes,  we  have  all  noticed  it,  more  particu- 
larly during  the  past  month.  Some  of  the  boys  say  he  never  sleeps,  and  I 
verily  believe  it.  I  hope  to  God  that  the  war  will  soon  end,  or  that  it  will, 
at  least,  get  in  such  shape  as  to  permit  Admiral  Dewey  to  take  a  rest.  In 
his  resting  moments  he  appears  to  me  like  a  man  not  long  for  this  world." 

During  my  stay  at  Manila,  I  learned  much  about  this  remarkable  man, 
whose  never-ceasing  activity  is  a  marvel  even  to  officers  who  have  been  with 
him  for  years.  I  was  told  that  he  rose  with  the  sun,  and  after  a  cold  bath, 
waded  through  piles  of  correspondence  with  his  secretary.  This  strain  was 
usually  kept  up  till  8  a.  m.,  when  he  took  a  light  breakfast.  At  9  a.  m.  he 
usually  held  an  hour's  consultation  with  his  chief  officers,  and  then  came 
the  terrible  strain  of  the  day.  The  "  Olympia's "  largest  steam  launch 
was  ordered  out,  and,  accompanied  by  a  few  officers,  his  tour  of  the  fleet  and 
harbor  was  made  under  the  then  broiling  rays  of  the  sun.  This  tour  gener- 
ally lasted  till  noon,  when  the  return  was  made  to  the  flagship  for  lunch.  A 
rest  of  two  hours  followed,  although  the  officers  say  the  admiral  never 
availed  himself  of  this,  but  worked  over  plans  in  his  private  cabin.  At  2.30 
his  first  visit  was  made  to  the  shore,  where  unceasing  work  followed  until 
dusk.  Sometimes  the  admiral  was  induced  to  take  a  hand  at  whist,  when  his 
return  to  the  ship  was  made  in  the  evening,  but  latterly  he  refused  to  join 
even  in  this  recreation,  and  generally  closeted  himself  with  his  priva>.i 
19 


29o       OUR  DEWEY,  AS  VIEWED  BY  AN  ENGLISH  OFFICER. 

secretary  until  late  at  night.  Six  hours'  hard  work  in  a  tropical  climate  is 
considered  a  good  day's  work.  I  was  told  on  the  best  authority  that  Admi- 
ral Dewey  works  sixteen  hours  a  day;  during  the  anticipated  trouble  with 
Germany  he  never  slept  for  two  days  and  two  nights.  Everything,  I  was 
told,  down  to  the  minutest  detail  that  went  on  in  the  fleet,  was  personally 
supervised  by  Admiral  Dewey.  In  the  first  big  battle  his  foresight  was 
simply  marvelous.  His  thoroughness  has  resulted  in  wonderful  success. 
As  a  naval  strategist  I,  as  a  military  man,  can  only  class  him  with  time- 
honored  heroes  like  Nelson  and  Drake. 

Dewey  exercises  a  wonderful  influence  over  every  one  with  whom  he 
comes  in  contact.  He  is  fairly  worshiped  by  the  army  and  navy  alike,  and 
his  appearance  on  shore  always  gives  rise  to  an  ovation. 

I  believe  that  Admiral  Dewey  can  thank  his  exceeding  temperate  habits 

for  the  fact  that  he  is  now  alive.     He  smokes  very  little,  drinks  hardly 

anything  and  eats  sparingly,  his  diet  being  chiefly  fruits. 

Extremely  jn   manner   he   appeared  to   me   quiet,    unassuming   and 

Courteous  Manners  m  -11  .  . 

of  the  Admiral.      always   courteous.     The  terrible    strain  imposed  on  him 

makes  him  appear  absorbed,  but  that  he  is  not  without 
humor  may  be  judged  from  several  anecdotes  I  heard  in  regard  to  him. 
About  the  end  of  January  he  was  shown  a  copy  of  the  Manila  Times  with 
the  following  extract  translated  from  the  Republica  Filipino, :  "  A  splendid 
demonstration  of  the  Cavite  women,  without  distinction  of  class  or  age, 
unanimously  requested  with  enthusiasm  to  be  permitted  to  take  the  place  of 
the  men  if  the  men  perish  in  the  struggle  against  the  Americans  for  the 
defence  of  the  independence  of  the  Philippines.  They  say  that,  irrespective 
of  the  weakness  of  their  sex,  love  of  their  country  will  make  them  strong 
and  will  animate  them  to  keen  combat  against  the  Americans." 

Admiral  Dewey  laughed  heartily  when  he  read  it  and  exclaimed  to  the 
officers  around  him  :  "  Boys,  I  will  have  to  send  all  the  single  men  on  the 
fleet  ashore  to  marry  these  women  or  we  are  undone."  Then,  turning  to 
the  chief  officer  of  the  "  Olympia,"  "  Kindly  call  for  volunteers." 

Shortly  after  it  was  announced  that  Hobson  would  join  the  forces  at 
Manila,  the  boast  previously  mentioned  was  made  that  the  Cavite  women 
would  fight  with  the  insurgents  against  the  Americans.  After  reading  the 
communication  Admiral  Dewey  handed  it  to  one  of  his  officers,  with  the  dry 
remark,  "  You  won't  have  to  leave  here  yet  awhile ;  we'll  put  Hobson  on 
shore  duty  at  Cavite." 

Admiral  Dewey,  I  was  told,  has  been  very  kind  to  newspaper  men.  A 
fresh  young  reporter  on  the  Manila  Times  insisted  on  an  interview  with  him 
in  regard  to  the  reported  threatened  attack  by  Aguinaldo.  The  admiral 


AN   INTERRUPTED   BATH.  291 

I 

was  very  busy  and  returned  the  interviewer's  card.  "  Must  see  you  or  I'll 
lose  my  job,"  came  back  the  reply  on  a  card.  "  Confound  the  man  for  his 
persistency,"  said  Dewey,  but  granted  the  scribe  a  two-minute  interview. 

On  the  occasion  of  one  of  the  skirmishes,  the  soldiers  in  Manila  who 
wished  to  get  to  the  outskirts  forcibly  impressed  carriages  on  the  streets  to 
get  there  speedily.  The  matter  was  reported  to  Admiral  Dewey.  He 
thought  a  short  time,  then  said  :  "  Most  of  the  boys  must  have  been  educated 
to  cab  driving.  I  don't  care  to  interfere  with  early  training  when  it  has 
been  good.  In  fact,  I  won't."^ 

An  amusing  incident  was  related  to  me  by  an  officer  who  stood  beside 
Admiral  Dewey  when  it  occurred.  During  the  fight,  when  the  insurgents 
were  being  mowed  down  after  a  particularly  villainous  attack  on  the 
Americans,  Aguinaldo  sent  out  a  flag  of  truce.  It  was  not  a  particularly 
clean  flag,  but  a  keen-sighted  man  might  have  perceived  that  it  was  white  or 
had  been.  Dewey 's  attention  was  drawn  to  it.  Shading  his  eyes  with  his 
hand  he  looked  at  it  long  and  earnestly,  and  then  turning  to  an  officer  said : 
"  I  am  told  that  I  am  getting  old.  I  must  be,  as  I  can  see  no  white  flag." 
The  fight  went  on  and  resulted  in  the  utter  rout  of  the  insurgents,  who, 
without  a  moment's  warning,  had  commenced  it. 

If  Admiral  Dewey  ever  reaches  America's  shores  a  live  man  I  will  never 
again  say  anything  against  hero  worship. 


AN  INTERRUPTED  BATH. 


A  Startling  Incident  of  the  Landing  of  Our  Regulars  at  Guantanamo. 

WHEN  Rudyard  Kipling,  in  the  early  days  of  his  war  correspond- 
ence for  the  Calcutta  Gazette,  wrote  his  amusing  tale  of  the  cap- 
ture of  the  fanciful  stronghold  of  Lung-Tung-Pen  by  a  detach- 
ment of  naked  British  soldiers,  led  by  a  naked  "  orfcer  boy,"  no 
one  dreamed  that  this  piece  of  strange  fiction  would  be  converted  into  stranger 
truth  by  the  first  body  of  regular  United  States  troops  landing  at  Guantanamo 
Bay,  near  Santiago  de  Cuba.     Yet  such  was  the  case.     One  of  the  New  York 
marines,  in  his  first  letter  home,  writes  : 

"  We  had  raised  the  Stars  and  Stripes  and  pitched  our  tents,  and  we  were 
mighty  glad  to  get  a  chance  to  wash  off  in  the  surf.  Everybody  was  in  the 
best  of  spirits,  and  glad  to  rest  from  the  work  of  hauling  timber  up  '  Chilcoot 


292  SECRETS   OF  SPAIN'S   RED   BOOK. 

• 

Pass,'  as  we  called  the  blazing  hot  trail  over  which  we  had  to  lug  our  sup- 
plies up  to  the  camp.  Suddenly,  at  half-past  four  in  the  afternoon,  just  as 
the  boys  were  splashing  about  and  squirting  water  all  over  each  other,  there 
came  the  ping,  ping,  ping  of  rifle-shots  from  the  foot-hills,  and  a  number  of 
Spaniards  appeared  in  the  underbrush  at  the  head  of  the  lagoon. 

"  The  bullets  whistled  through  the  air,  and  for  the  moment  startled  the 
guards.  It  was  only  for  an  instant,  however.  Almost  instantly  they  returned 
the  fire  with  rapid  volleys.  As  soon  as  the  shots  were  heard  the  men  came 
running  from  the  camp  ground  and  the  shore  to  the  aid  of  their  comrades. 
Many  of  us  who  had  been  swimming  did  not  have  a  shred  of  clothing  on, 
but  this  made  no  difference.  We  dashed  from  the  water,  seizing  our  cart- 
ridge-belts and  rifles  as  we  ran,  and  made  for  the  camp. 

"  There  was  no  undue  excitement  or  panicky  feeling,  so  far  as  I  could 
see,  however,  nor  did  any  of  the  men  fire  without  orders,  though  it  was 
awkward,  of  course,  to  push  through  the  underbrush  with  bare  skin.  We 
know  now  what  fighting  in  the  Cuban  jungle  means.  When  the  skirmishers 
returned  from  the  woods  they  were  simply  black  with  the  mosquitoes  that 
covered  them,  and  their  legs,  arms  and  bodies  were  jabbed  with  burrs  and 
cactus  needles." 


SECRETS  OF  SPAIN'S  RED  BOOK. 


A  Summary  of  the  Diplomatic  Correspondence  Not  Intended  for  Public 

Eyes,  but  Which  are  Revelations  of  Surpassing  Interest 

Concerning  Spanish  Conduct  of  the  War. 

It  has  long  been  a  custom  of  Spain,  as  it  is  of  some  other  countries,  to 
print  the  diplomatic  correspondence  that  passes  between  its  representatives 
and  other  governments  on  matters  of  vital  importance  to  the  nation,  for  sub- 
mission to  the  Cortes.  The  book  is  strictly  3.  secret  one,  and  re-publication 
of  any  part  of  it  in  the  kingdom  is  prohibited  under  severe  penalties.  A 
copy  of  this  exclusive  publication,  which  has  just  been  issued  in  two  volumes 
of  two  hundred  pages  each,  reached  the  United  States  through  a  secret 
channel,  and  a  summary  is  here  printed,  which  embraces  the  archives  of  the 
Spanish  Department  of  State  in  reference  to  the  Spanish  spy  system  in 
America,  the  cutting  of  cables  and  the  peace  negotiations.  In  all  these 
reports  there  is  a  plain  tone  of  hopelessness  and  even  despair. 


SECRETS    OF  SPAIN'S   RED   BOOK.  293 

Spain  did  not  yield  her  island  empire  gracefully.  Isle  by  isle  the 
Americans  wrested  the  sovereignty  of  them  from  her  in  the  negotiations. 
Compelled  to  offer  the  independence  of  Cuba  when  she  sued  for  peace, 
she  held  to  Porto  Rico.  When  this  was  torn  from  her  she  stuck  to  the 
Philippines.  There  is  a  piteous  note  sounding  in  all  the  correspondence. 
Spain  never  had  a  show.  We  had  her  State  ciphers,  and  when  the  Spanish 
Government,  after  travail  and  heartburning,  authorized  Cambon,  the  French 
Minister,  to  make  the  first  tentative  advance,  and  warned  him  that  the  honor 
of  Spain  was  involved  in  his  secret  instructions,  we  had  a  copy  of  the 
instructions,  and  Cambon,  when  he  went  to  McKinley,  was  startled  to  find 
the  President  already  knew  the  last  details  of  his  mission. 

Another  revelation  of  these  messages  that  will  astonish  Americans  is 
that  Spain  seriously  contemplated  an  invasion  of  the 

United  States  until  her  fleet  was  destroyed.  ,A  Threaten«| 

J      m  Invasion  of  the 

The  famous  Red  Book  of  Spain  contains  all  the  orders      United  States, 
of  the  government  from  the  beginning  of  the  late  war  till 
the  close  of  hostilities,  and  much  light  is  thrown  on  hitherto  dark  subjects. 

It  shows  the  inside  workings  of  the  plan  to  have  M.  Cambon,  the 
ambassador  of  France  at  Washington,  sound  the  American  Government  as 
to  its  terms  of  peace.  It  brings  out  a  curious  fact,  that  when  Cambon  pre- 
sented his  instructions  to  President  McKinley,  after  having  been  put  to  great 
trouble  to  have  them  deciphered  out  of  the  private  cipher  of  the  Department 
of  State  for  Spain,  the  ambassador  found  that  the  American  President  had 
been  apprised  of  the  instructions  in  advance  of  the  ambassador,  and  knew 
the  contents  of  the  letter  of  instruction  even  down  to  the  minutest  details. 

The  intense  astonishment  of  M.  Cambon  got  into  his  report  to  the 
Spanish  Government,  and  this  is  also  in  the  Red  Book. 

The  book  shows  that  Spain  was  early  aware  of  the  fact  that  government 
messages  to  Cuba  and  Porto  Rico  over  the  cable  lines  were  being  intercepted 
and  read  by  Americans — taken  out  of  the  sea,  as  it  were. 
On  this  ground  the  Government  of  Spain  held  long  confer- 
ences  with  the  Mexican  and  Columbian  governments,  pro-  Destruction. 
testing  that  the  cables  to  those  countries  were  being  used 
by  the  Americans,  in  violation  of  the  rules  of  international  law.  This  inter- 
ruption of  communication  with  her  colonies  was  the  first  hard  blow  that 
Spain  received,  and  the  messages  of  the  ministers  show  that  it  was  a  very 
hard  blow  indeed.  Spain  tried  to  stir  up  trouble  between  France  and  the 
United  States  because  of  the  cutting  of  the  French  cables,  and  made  formal 
complaint  to  the  French  Government.  She  also  tried  to  excite  other  Euro- 
pean nations  against  the  United  States,  because  this  government  proceeded 


294  SECRETS  OF  SPAIN'S  RED   BOOK. 

to  take  prizes  of  Spanish  ships  before  the  formal  declaration  of  war.  The 
opening  chapter  of  the  Red  Book  begins  on  April  20,  1898,  when  the 
president  of  the  Helvetic  Confederation  proposed  to  the  Government  of 
Spain  that  she  make  adherence  to  the  additional  article  of  the  Convention 
of  Geneva  of  October  28,  1868. 

After  the  protests  to  foreign  governments  of  the  illegality  of  the  Ameri- 
can way  of  making  .war,  the  Red  Book  reproduces  all  the  frantic  messages 
in  regard  to  keeping  up  communication  with  the  colonies.  To  be  cut  off 
from  communication  with  Cuba,  Porto  Rico  and  the  Philippines  was  a  night- 
mare in  Spain  that  was  fulfilled  in  reality  before  the  war  was  many  weeks 
old.  Here  are  some  samples  : 

MADRID,  April  27. 
POI.O  Y  BARNABB,  Toronto: 

I  am  very  much  troubled  because  of  the  lack  of  adequate  and  prompt  communication 
between  us  and  the  Antilles.  If  the  Americans  should  cut  the  cables  our  position  would  indeed 
be  bad.  I  ask  your  Excellency  how,  in  your  opinion,  may  the  evident  intention  of  the  Ameri- 
cans be  thwarted.  GUIDON,  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs. 

Polo's  reply  follows  : 

TORONTO,  April  28. 

You  can  communicate  with  Cuba,  sending  telegrams  to  consul  at  Kingston.  He  can  load 
small  boats,  which  would  carry  correspondence  to  Santiago  from  north  coast  of  Jamaica.  I 
have  sent  Consul  Castro  and  Vice-Consul  Bringas  to  Kingston  so  that  our  consul  there  may 
have  much  needed  help.  POI.O. 

MADRID,  May  j. 
Enemy  has  cut  cable  Manila;  transmit  news  necessary  without  regard  expense. 

GUI.LON. 
This  is  the  reply  that  came  back  : 

HONG  KONG,  May  7. 

Difficult  to  freight  steamer;  afraid  of  Americans.  Ask  assurance  of  value  to  ship  to 
provide  against  capture.  9  NAVARRO. 

MADRID,  May  5. 

Answer  if  communication  can  be  restored  with  Manila  via  Bolinao;  send  messages  there 
by  foreign  ships,  and  forwarding  from  Bolinao  over  land  lines.  GUI.LON. 

HONG  KONG,  May  /.?. 

Have  asked  Governor-General  of  Philippines  if  telegram  from  Bolinao  to  Manila  is  safe 
means  of  transmission.  Looks  less  difficult  by  Labuan,  Singapore.  NAVARRO. 

HONG  KONG,  May  27. 

I  cannot  transmit  messages  through  north  coast  of  Luzon,  there  being  no  wires  between 
Aparri  and  Manila.  NAVARRO. 

SINGAPORE,  May  29. 
GUIDON: 

Compatriots  from  Iloilo  say  Manila  cable  cut  by  Americans  23d  iust 

MARINAS. 


SECRETS  OF  SPAIN'S   RED  BOOK.  295 

MADRID,  May  30. 
SPANISH  CONSUL  Hong  Kong: 

Inform  by  cable  if  any  way  to  communicate  with  certainty  with  Philippines.  Try  service 
by  neutral  ships,  which  may  conduct  message  to  Linguayeu,  Aparri  or  any  port  on  north  coast 
Luzon,  whence  land  line  to  Manila. 

ALMODOVAR. 

SPANISH  CONSUL,  Singapore: 

Try  service  neutral  ships  to  any  port  on  south  coast  of  Luzon,  thence  land  line  to  Manila. 

SINGAPORE,  June  i. 

Received  cable.  Have  worked  day  and  night,  but  without  result.  Captains  are  afraid  that 
they  may  be  taken  prizes  by  Americans.  Have  found  one  who  inspires  confidence  and  will 
carry  Spanish  pilot  familiar  with  Philippine  coast.  Will  not  give  positive  answer  for  four 
days,  as  expects  arrival  of  ship  owner.  He  asks  $200  daily;  steamer  capable  of  eight  knots  an 
hour.  MARINAS. 

SINGAPORE,  June  12. 

Ship  owner  arrives.  Englishman.  Refuses  to  freight  ship.  Says  too  small  to  risk  bad 
weather.  Really  sympathizes  with  Americans.  MARINAS. 

KINGSTON,  July  7. 

Cable  broken.  Communication  with  Cuba  impossible.  Americans  extraordinarily  alert. 
Watch  all  movements  of  boats.  Captains  report  impracticable  to  dodge  blockade.  Risk  too 
great. 

KINGSTON,  July  7. 
ALMODOVAR,  Madrid: 

Americans  hold  cable.  Have  cut  out  loops  around  coast  of  Cuba  and  have  possession  of  the 
line  between  Santiago  and  Mole  St.  Nicholas.  Communication  absolutely  closed. 

After  discussing  the  rupture  of  communication  with  the  colonies  the 
Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs  informs  the  Cortes  of  the  work  of  the  secret 
service.  He  says :  "  Though  our  secret  service  was  as  well  organized  as  was 
possible,  yet  the  work  was  conducted  under  great  difficulties  and  sometimes 
did  not  produce  the  desired  results.  The  secret  service  officials  of  the 
United  States  were  unusually  vigilant,  and  had  a  great  force  employed  in 
the  work.  Nearly  all  foreigners  were  under  espionage  and  it  was  necessary 
to  employ  either  natives  or  men  of  kindred  blood  whose  knowledge  of 
customs  and  manners  of  the  people  was  perfect,  and  who  to  a  certain  extent 
could  disarm  suspicion.  But  the  American  officers  seemed  suspicious  of 
every  one  who  manifested  or  appeared  to  manifest  any  disposition  to  make 
discoveries  along  any  line.  The  service  of  these  aliens  was  not  always  satis- 
factory, as  they  worked  not  through  patriotic  and  high  motives,  but  through 
low  and  sordid  desires  to  make  money.  Of  course,  with  men  of 
this  character  it  was  not  easy  to  produce  good  results,  but  despite 
these  difficulties  our  corps,  under  the  able  direction  of  Senors  Du 
Bosque  and  Sobral,  gained  some  very  valuable  information  concerning 
things  that  would  have  been  of  wonderful  value  if  an  invasion  of  the 


296  SECRETS   OF  SPAIN'S   RED   BOOK. 

United  States  had  been  decided  on.  This  information  would  probably  have 
been  utilized  but  for  the  misfortune  that  befell  us  in  the  very  beginning  of  the 
conflict  We  possess  now  a  complete  assortment  of  drawings  of  fortifications, 
barracks,  arsenals  and  navy  yards.  We  derived  from 
Valuable  informa-  Ljelltenant  Caranza  estimable  statistics  of  the  strength 
Spanish  Spies.  anc^  sp^t  of  the  enemy,  his  means  of  offence  and  defence. 
Accurate  topographical  maps  of  the  strategic  parts  of 
the  country  were  obtained,  and  the  vital  points  in  the  railroad  systems  of 
the  country  were  duly  marked.  Senors  Du  Bosque,  Sobral  and  Caranza  are 
deserving  of  the  highest  praise  for  the  services  that  they  rendered,  as  the 
performance  of  each  little  duty  connected  with  their  work  meant  personal 
risk.  Not  only  were  the  Americans  very  much  alive  to  the  exigencies  of 
the  moment,  but  the  Canadian  authorities,  police  and  people,  did  not  disguise 
the  fact  that  they  sympathized  with  their  neighbors  and  aided  the  American 
authorities  to  the  full  extent  of  their  power." 

It  will  be  a  surprise  to  most  Americans  tha£  Spain  began  to  seek  a 
peaceful  settlement  as  early  as  July  8.  On  that  date  the  Minister  of 
Foreign  Affairs  sent  the  following  dispatch  to  Ambassador  Leon  y  Castill  •,  at 
Paris : 

See  the  Secretary  of  State  for  France  and  ask  him  to  have  the  French  Ambassador  at 
Washington  see  the  President  of  the  United  States  and  sound  him  gently  as  to  the  terms  on 
which  a  suspension  of  hostilities  might  be  agreed  on.  You  should  act  with  haste  in  this 
matter,  but  not  with  apparent  haste  or  anxiety,  as  such  action  might  prejudice  our  cause.  You 
should  be"  very  discreet  in  this  undertaking,  as  the  Americans  are  tired  of  the  war  and  would 
like  to  retire.  They  must  not  be  given  the  impression  that  we  are  discouraged  or  that  our 
resources  are  fast  ebbing. 

The  proposed  peace  negotiations  remained  at  a  standstill  until  July  20, 
when  the  Spanish  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs  sent  the  following  dispatch  to 
the  ambassador  at  Paris  : 

Press  the  cause  and  insist  on  having  an  early  reply.  Be  quick,  but  do  not  appear  in  too 
much  of  a  hurry. 

On  July  21  the  Ambassador  wired  back: 

The  Secretary  of  State  has  obtained  the  consent  of  the  President  and  the  proposition  will 
proceed  with  due  diligence. 

On  July  22  the  French  Secretary  announced  that  a  message  had  been 
sent  to  Ambassador  Cambon  at  Washington. 

Directly  after,  the  Spanish  Prime  Minister  sent  instructions  to  Cambon 
by  way  of  Paris,  and  on  July  24  received  the  following  dispatch  from  the 
Ambassador  at  Paris : 

French  Ambassador  at  Washington  cannot  decipher  instructions  because  he  has  not  the 
key. 


SECRETS  OF  SPAIN'S  RED  BOOK.  297 

On  the  same  date  a  cable  was  sent  to  the  Spanish  consul  at  Montreal 
ordering  him  to  send  key  to  the  State  Department  cipher  to  Cambon. 
This  message  flashed  back  from  Montreal : 

Have  sent  key  No.  74  by  confidential  source  to  Cambon. 

On  July  26  the  following  dispatch  was  received  from  the  Spanish 
Ambassador  at  Paris : 

Secretary  of  State  informs  me  that  Ambassador  Cambon  has  presented  his  instructions,  and 
that  the  American  President  had  full  information  concerning  the  document.  He  welcomed  the 
French  Ambassador  and  remarked  that  he  was  aware  of  the  mission  on  which  he  called  and 
was  familiar  with  his  instructions.  This  the  ambassador  found  to  be  quite  true  upon  close 
conversation  with  President  McKinley.  Cambon  is  reported  by  the  French  Secretary  to  have 
been  much  chagrined  and  disappointed  by  reason  of  the  untimely  knowledge  of  the  American 
President.  It  might  be  well  to  investigate  how  this  information  came  to  reach  Washington  so 
soon,  as  in  it  might  be  found  an  explanation  of  other  leaks  in  the  news  service  of  the  govern- 
ment. 

The  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs  sent  the  following  confidential  note  to 
the  Ambassador  at  Paris,  to  be  handed  by  him  to  the  Secretary  of  State,  to 
be  in  turn  transmitted  to  Ambassador  Cambon,  with  the  instruction  that  it 
be  considered  sacredly  confidential. 

A  marked  headline,  "  Very  Confidential,"  precedes  the  letter  which 
follows : 

In  explanation  of  the  telegram  of  this  evening  concerning  the  disposition  of  the  Spanish 
Government  in  order  to  coincide  with  the  President  of  the  United  States  in  the  preliminaries 
of  the  peace  negotiations,  it  is  convenient  for  Your  Excellency  to  under- 
stand the  thoughts  and  views  of  this  government,  so  that  you  may  be    Spain's    Hopes   of 
able  to  maintain  yourself  with  ease  and  dignity  in  the  conversation  you   Saving    Porto    Rico 
must  sustain  with  the  President.     You,  of  course,  must  have  a  complete  and  the  Philippines, 
knowledge  of  our  purposes. 

In  the  war  with  the  United  States  it  is  necessary  to  distinguish  the  purposes  of  the  war  and 
the  methods  employed  in  its  conduct.  The  end  was  the  separation  of  Cuba  from  the  Spanish 
Crown.  The  incidents  of  the  war  have  been  the  attackst  on  the  other  colonies  and  dependen- 
cies of  the  Spanish  nation.  Upon  the  first  Spain  is  willing  to  accept  any  solution  which  the 
United  States  may  be  pleased  to  offer. 

Absolute  independence. 

Independence  under  the  protectorate  of  the  United  States. 

Or, 

Annexation  to  the  American  Republic,  preferring  the  policy  of  annexation  to  the  United 
States,  because  that  government  will  be  better  able  and  more  disposed  to  protect  the  lives  and 
property  of  the  Spaniards  resident  in  the  island. 

Any  other  solution  which  the  United  States  may  require  as  consequence  of  war,  you  will 
understand,  or  any  other  pretensions  which  the  United  States  may  assume  toward  territory 
other  than  Cuba  must  be  through  deeds  of  arms  which  shall  constitute  a 

transitory  occupation,  or  through  expenses  incurred  by  the  campaign.  Principle  of  Indem- 
In  the  matter  of  Cuba  this  government  reserves  nothing.     I  admit  the       nity  Admitted. 
principle  of  indemnity  within  reasonable  bounds,  but  I  wish  you  to  put 

forward  the  proposition  that  Spain  should  not  be  held  responsible  for  unnecessary  expenses  as 
well  as  for  certain  action  of  arms  committed  during  the  war.     It  must  not  be  lost  sight  of  that 


29S  SECRETS  OF  SPAIN'S   RED  BOOK. 

the  Spanish  nation  did  not  provoke  the  war.  And  even  if  the  fortune  of  war  has  been  against 
this  nation,  I  understand  that  our  territory  other  than  Cuba  is  not  to  be  considered  as  the  spoils 
of  the  victor. 

I  will  be  very  grateful  to  you  if  you  inquire  into  the  probable  attitude  of  the  President 
on  -h_  question  of  Porto  Rico  and  the  Philippines.  If  the  ideas  of  the  President  are  in  con-/ 
formity  with  those  of  this  government,  we  beg  you  '.o  iiasten  the  demand  for  the  suspension 
of  hostilities,  which  this  government  desires  to  obtain  for  the  sake  of  aileviating  hunger  in 
the  West  Indies  and  to  prevent  further  massacres  in  the  Philippines.  If  you  and  the  President 
can  put  yourselves  in  accord  the  armistice  can  be  immectiateiy  proclaimed. 

Try  to  avoid  anything  which  would  produce  any  unpleasant  feeling  should  the  matter 
have  to  be  considered  by  an  international  congress. 

The  most  rapid  plan  would  be  that  each  government  should  nominate  a  commission  to 
confer  in  some  neutral  city,  and  the  most  oligibl^  place  I  believe,  would  be  Paris. 

I  congratulate  you  on  the  skill,  industry  an:,  intelligence  you  have  thus  far  shown  in  the 
conduct  of  the  negotiations,  and  I  promise  you  that  the  gratitude  of  this  nation  will  be  in  just 
proportion  to  your  ability  and  merit.  AI,MODOVAR  DEI,  Rio. 

The  next  note  from  the  Spanish  Ambassador  to  the  Minister  of  Foreign 
Affairs  at  Madrid  had  this  gloomy  forecast : 

Ambassador  Cambon  states  that  he  has  understood  from  authentic  sources  that  the  hostili- 
ties will  continue  with  vigor  till  peace  is  a  reality,  as  the  American  Government  and  the 
people  are  afraid  of  the  diplomatic  delays  which  may  be  practiced  on  them  by  Spain.  They 
fear  that  Spain  may  take  advantage  of  these  delays  to  recover  some  of  her  lost  force  and  recover 
some  of  her  lost  ground. 

Following  is  a  translation  of  the  message  sent  to  the  Spanish  Minister 

of  Foreign  Affairs  by  Ambassador  Cambon : 

WASHINGTON,  July  31. 

SENOR  DUKE  : — As  I  announced  to  you  in  my  previous  telegram,  the  President  invited  me 
to  make  observations  on  the  petition  formulated  by  the  United  States.     I  insisted  on  the  dis- 
tinction which  should  be  made  between  the  question  of  Cuba,  initial 

Only  Through    HJcs  causo  of  Ihe  Spanish-American  conflict,  and  the  new  question  which  has 

Emotions  Was       resulted  from  the  operations  of  the  war.     In  reference  to  Cuba,  I  answered 

McKinley  Moved,    that  Cpain  is  disposed  to  make  all  the  necessary  concessions  to  bring 

about  peace;  Spain  persists  in  feeling  for  the  island  the  dangers  of  a 

premature  independence.  The  Americans  recognize  this,  because  the  general  commanding  the 
American  army  of  invasion  would  not  permit  his  Cuban  allies  to  enter  the  city  of  Santiago.  .  .  . 
Passing  to  Article  No.  3,  I  said  that  this  was  :.ut  forth  for  the  especial  purpose  of  endanger- 
ing in  Spain  the  success  of  the  peace  negotiations,  and  this  would  be  especial!}'  true  if  between 
the  words  intervention  and  government  of  the  Philippines  the  word  "  possession  "  be  inserted, 
which  would  put  in  doubt  from  the  instant  of  its  introduction  into  the  document  the  sovereignty 
of  Spain. 

"You  will  observe,"  said  the  President,  "  that  my  petitions  in  referring  to  the  first  two  articles 
do  not  admit  of  discussion.  I  leave  to  future  negotiations  the  care  and  consideration  of  the 
Philippine  question.  It'  Uie  American  forces  retain  their  position  it  is  because  of  the  obligation 
I  owe  to  the  residents,  and  the  foreign  population." 

Seeing  that  the  President  was  firm  in  his  determination  not  to  modify  the  third  article, 
I  made  a  play  upon  his  emotions,  and  he  was  visibly  moved,  and  disregarding  the  opposition 
of  Secretary  Day,  the  President  ordered  that  the  word  :<  possession  "  should  be  stricken  out 
and  replaced  by  the  word  "disposition."  This  does  not  prejudice  the  result  of  the  negotia- 
tions. 


SECRETS  OF  SPAIN'S   RED  BOOK.  299 

When  the  President  had  made  the  desired  change  in  the  article,  he  spoke  very  familiarly 
with  me,  and  expressed  much  sorrow  that  Spain  had  not  sued  immediately  for  peace  after  the 
battle  of  Cavite.  The  conditions,  the  President  said,  would  be  different,  and  the  war  could 
have  been  brought  to  a  close  without  the  very  great  loss  which  Spain  must  now  suffer. 

The  President  told  me  that  if  Spain  declined  to  agree  to  Article  3  she  would  have  to  submit 
to  still  greater  loss,  and  he  begged  of  me  to  make  this  clearly  understood  at  Madrid. 

Obeying  your  instructions,  I  made  the  attempt  to  secure  the  immediate  suspension  of 
hostilities.  .  .  .  The  best  that  I  could  do  was  to  secure 'from  the  President  the  promise 
that  hostilities  would  be  suspended  as  soon  as  the  Government  at  Madrid  should  make  known 
its  willingness  to  accept  the  American  terms.  He  desired  to  know  if  I  had  authority  to  act  for 
Spain  in  the  matter  of  suspension  of  hostilities,  and  I  answered  yes. 

The  conference  lasted  for  two  and  one-half  hours.  I  have  done  my  best  to  deserve  your 
confidence,  and  have  done  my  utmost  to  defend  the  interests  of  Spain. 

With  sorrow  that  I  could  not  obtain  greater  concessions,  but  fearing  that  the  determination 
of  the  American  Government  to  humble  Spain  cannot  be  swerved,  I  am,  your  obedient 
servant, 

JUI,ES  CAMBON. 

Up  to  this  time  Cambon  represented  the  Government  of  Spain  through 
the  French  Government,  but  from  this  date  on  he  was  the  direct  represen- 
tative at  Washington  of  the  Government  of  Spain. 

Ambassador  Cambon  tried  to  do  as  Duke  Almodovar  del  Rio  cabled 
him,  and  this  is  his  report  of  what  happened  : 

I  have  informed  th-«  President  that  the  Spanish  Government  con- 
siders the  demands  of  the  American  Government  as  excessively  rigorous.       President  and 
i'.'icy  consider  the  necessity  of  ceding  Porto  Rico  as  a  war  indemnity  a       Secretary  Day 
very  great  hardship.     I  told  him  that  this    island  had  never  been  in     Seemed  Disap- 
dispute  between    Spain   and   the   United  States  and  had  not  been  an  pointed  That  Spain 
element  in  the  conflict.     I  asked  him  to  accept  other  territory  as  com-    Accepted  Terms. 
pensation. 

As  I  expected,  Mr.  McKinley  showed  inflexibility,  and  repeated  that  the  Philippine 
question  was  the  only  one  which  had  not  been  already  settled  in  his  mind.  I  took  up  this 
point  and  begged  the  President  to  state  to  me  his  intentions  as  far  as  possible  concerning  the 
Philippines.  On  this  point  I  said  that  the  terms  of  the  United  States  as  written  might  be  con- 
-trued  to  mean  that  Spanish  sovereignty  in  the  Philippine  archipelago  was  at  an  end.  Mr. 
McKinley  answered:  "  I  will  not  leave  you  in  error  on  this  subject.  The  commissioners  of  the 
two  countries  will  determine  the  Philippine  question — will  settle  the  question  as  to  which  shall 
be  the  governing  nation  there. "  He  said  ' '  that  the  Government  of  Spain  could  rest  assured  that 
up  to  the  present  time  I  have  formed  no  conclusion  on  this  matter  and  have  formed  no  resolve 
against  Spain .' ' 

This  cablegram  concluded  with  this  sizing  up  of  the  situation  by  the 
Ambassador  : 

I  have  said  before  that  the  President  of  the  United  States  will  remain  firm  in  his  position, 
and  taking  into  consideration  that  Your  Excellency  asks  my  personal  opinion,  I  cannot  do  less 
than  persist  in  the  assertion  that  each  new  symptom  of  vacillation  or  delay  will  bring  about  a 
more  serious  condition  and  bring  more  rigorous  terms.  Jui,ES  CAMBON. 


300  SECRETS   OF  SPAIN'S   RED   BOOK. 

The  birth  of  the  protocol  is  described  in  a  message  from  Cambon  to  the 
Duke  under  date  of  August  10  : 

The  President  and  his  Secretary  of  State  appeared  to  be  much  disappointed  that  Spain 
accepted  the  terms,  it  seeming  to  be  apparent  that  they  thought  that  Spain  would  reject  the 
terms  that  America  might  have  greater  excuse  for  forcing  the  war  to  the 
Rejection  of  Spain's  end. 

Proposals.  After  a  long  silence  Mr.  McKinley  said:  "I  asked  of  Spain  the 

immediate  cession  and  evacuation  of  Cuba  and  Porto  Rico.     Instead  of 

sending  to  me  a  categoric  reply  I  am  given  a  general  note.  The  Spanish  Government  declares 
that  it  cannot  give  the  answer  I  desire  until  the  Cortes  has  been  consulted.  I  cannot  consider 
such  a  proposition." 

All  my  observations  were  futile.  The  President  was  firm.  Seeing  that  he  was  at  the  point 
of  ending  the  interview  and  breaking  off  peace  negotiations,  I  begged  him  to  tell  me  what 
security  he  could  offer  Spain  as  to  his  sincerity.  He  replied:  "  There  is  only  one  way  to  con- 
clude this  series  of  errors  and  delays,  and  that  was  to  draft  a  protocol  which  should  include  the 
conditions  demanded  by  the  United  States  and  to  which  Spain  must  agree  if  she  be  sincere  in 
her«protestations  of  desire  for  peace." 

The  protocol  will  be  shown  to  me  to-morrow,  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  terms  will  be 
strict  and  rigorous,  and  I  am  persuaded  that  the  President  cannot  be  induced  to  modify  the 
American  pretensions. 

I  tell  you  frankly  that  if  Spain  does  not  accept  the  protocol  promptly  she  need  expect  no 
lenity  from  the  victors.  They  are  determined  upon  the  utter  humiliation  of  Spain,  and  the 
success  of  their  arms  encourages  them  to  believe  that  they  can  obliterate  the- kingdom. 

CAMBON. 

The  protocol  was  signed  immediately  and  Spain  named  her  commis- 
sioners. 

Then  follow  in  the  Red  Book  the  cablegrams  which  show  the  frantic 
efforts  of  Spain  to  hold  the  Philippines  and  its  plea  for  permission  to  use  the 
Spanish  troops  there  against  the  Philippine  rebels.  The  downfall  of  these 
hopes  is  chronicled  in  a  cablegram  from  Cambon. 

The  Red  Book  contains  the  full  text  of  the  protest  which  the  Spanish 

Government  made  in  which  Spain  seeks  to  prove  that  Admiral  Dewey's 

communications  to  the  War  Department  concerning  the 

Spanish  Protests     con<3ition  of  the  families  of  Spanish  prisoners  were  false. 

and  Charges  Against  .  .  . 

Dewey  ^n  a^tack  is  made  against  Admiral  Dewey  in  the  allegation 

that  his  conduct  proves  him  to  be  an  accomplice  of  the 
Tagals.  Spain  insists  that  it  is  in  possession  of  authentic  reports  which 
contradict  those  received  from  Admiral  Dewey.  These  prisoners  held  by 
the  Tagals  are  subjected  to  barbarous  and  cruel  treatment  by  the  natives 
and  their  condition  becomes  each  day  more  pitiable.  Spain  cites  news 
received  by  American  newspapers  which  corroborate  its  own  reports. 

The  protest  recites  that  the  official  relations  existing  between  the 
American  admiral  and  Aguinaldo,  chief  of  the  Tagal  insurgents,  are 


SECRETS  OF  SPAIN'S   RED   BOOK.  301 

suspiciously  close.  It  maintains  that  most  of  the  Spanish  prisoners  are  held 
in  territory  over'which  American  troops  exercise  authority.  The  charge  is 
made  that  Admiral  Dewey  himself  turned  over  to  the  Tagals  certain  Spaniards 
taken  prisoners  of  war. 

The  note  begs  that  in  the  name  of  humanity  the  American  Government 
cause  the  liberation  of  the  prisoners. 

Secret  telegram  No.  133,  on  page  175  of  the  Red  Book,  is  an  interesting 
one  from  Blanco,  Governor-General  of  Cuba.  The  dispatch  was  sent  to  the 
Minister  of  the  Colonies  on  October  7.  It  follows  : 

The  president  of  our  commission  informs  me  that  he  fears  the  Americans  do  not  quite 
correctly  understand  the  meaning  of  the  word  evacuation.  It  is  the  opinion  of  the  Americans 
that  evacuation  means  that  not  only  the  military  and  naval  forces  in 

Cuba,  but  the  civil  functionaries  as  well,  shall  divorce  themselves  from    Blanco's  Struggle 
the  island.     Our  commissioners  have  sought  to  enlighten  the.Americans  with  the  Evacuation 
as  to  the  true  definition  of  the  word  evacuation,  but  without  success.         Cortimission. 
I  asked  your  opinion  as  to  the  best  plan  to  enlighten  the  Americans. 

The  Americans  make  the  following  statement:  "  The  word  evacuation  as  used  in  the  protocol 
means  that  not  only  the  military  officers,  but  that  the  government  officials  employed  in  the 
civil  administration  shall  leave  this  island."  The  Americans  are  very  stubborn  on  this  point. 
They  also  make  the  violent  pretension  that  they  shall  keep  all  the  artillery  and  particularly 
that  mounted  in  the  forts.  They  are  distressingly  firm  in  the  pretension.  We  are  at  a  loss  as 
to  how  to  influence  them.  There  is  no  limit  to  their  avarice.  BI.ANCO. 

Those  chosen  officials  of  Spain  whose  privilege  it  has  been  to  inspect 
this  royal  publication,  have  privately  expressed  the  opinion  that  much  of  the 
important  correspondence  carried  on  by  Spain  with  other  governments  during 
the  war  was  not  incorporated  in  the  book. 

During  the  war  the  government  gave  out  suggestions  of  intrigues  with 
other  governments  with  the  aim  of  curbing  the  imperialism  of  the  United 
States.  It  was  suggested  that  a  defensive  and  offensive  alliance  had  been 
considered  between  Spain  and  Austria.  This  correspondence  does  not  appear 
in  the  Red  Book.  This  has  awakened  comment  in  Madrid,  that  the  Spanish 
Minister  either  deluded  the  people  with  the  glittering  idea  of  a  foreign 
alliance,  or  purposely  suppressed  correspondence  of  vital  importance  to  the 
people  of  Spain. 


302  THE   COURAGEOUS   ACT  OF  ENSIGN   GIUJS. 

• 

THE  COURAGEOUS  ACT  OF  ENSIGN  GILLIS. 


And  Also  Some  of  the  Gayeties  of  War  When  Danger  is  Greatest. 

THE  amazing  deeds  of  valor  and  execution  by  Dewey,  Hobson,  Schley 
and  the  army  heroes  at  Santiago  and  Manila,  are  well  preserved  in 
permanent  pages  of  history,  but  there  was  another  whose  deed  was 
no  less  courageous  but  who  has  failed  to  receive  the  large  measure 
of  recognition  that  he  deserves.     Ensign  Gillis  was  executive  officer  of  the 
torpedo  boat   "  Porter,"   which  performed  many  daring  exploits  in  Cuban 
waters,  but  the  greatest  was  that  which  may  be  thus  described : 

One  dark  night  Admiral  Cervera  sent  a  destroyer  out  from  Santiago 
harbor,  and,  whatever  happened  to  the  destroyer,  the  next  morning  some 
German  torpedoes  were  floating  around.  "  One,"  said  Captain  Fremont,  of 
the  "  Porter,"  "  was  coming  straight  for  my  little  boat.  Do  you  know  Gillis  ? 
Has  nothing  in  his  composition  but  plain  nerve.  I  have  to  watch  him 
all  the  time ;  but  this  time  he  was  too  quick  for  me.  The  torpedo  was 
coming  slowly  ;  if  it  touched  our  side  there  would  be  nothing  more  for  any 
of  iis  except  a  bed  under  water.  He  had  his  shoes  off  and  his  coat  before  I 
knew  it.  '  Don't  do  it,  Gillis  ;  she's  got  her  war  nose  on.'  '  I'll  unscrew  it, 
sir,'  said  the  boy,  and  over  the  side  he  went,  threw  his  arms  around  the 
torpedo,  headed  it  away  from  us,  and  then  began  feeling  for  its  business  end. 
Well,  the  air-cock  opening,  the  torpedo  dived  from  the  ensign's  arms  to 
the  bottom." 

It  was  a  consoling  as  well  as  encouraging  feature  of  our  war  with  Spain 
that  our  soldiers  and  sailors,  while  doing  their  grim  duty  in  the  face  of  the 
most  serious  obstacles,  yet  retained  all  the  native  Yankee  humor  for  which 
our  race  is  justly  famous.  When  the  North  Atlantic  squadron  was  still 
stationed  at  Key  West,  the  resourceful  blue-jackets  of  our  monitors  found 
diversion  in  organizing  a  unique  series  of  bicycle  races,  held  upon  the 
cleared  decks  of  those  deadliest  of  naval  fighting  monsters.  Later,  when  the 
blockade  was  established  and  one  Spanish  prize  after  another  was  caught  in 
the  meshes  of  Admiral  Sampson's  drag-net,  the  mirth  of  the  whole  fleet  was 
aroused  by  the  amusing  capture  of  the  Spanish  auxiliary  cruiser  "  Panama  " 
by  the  light-house  tender  "  Mangrove,"  the  homeliest  and  most  insignificant 
vessel  of  the  fleet,  and  by  the  ludicrous  capitulation  of  the  Spanish  captain 
and  his  crew  to  a  single  American  ensign  armed  with  a  chaplain's  revolver. 
Another  similar  contribution  to  the  gayety  of  nations  was  when  the  British 


THE  COURAGEOUS  ACT  OF  ENSIGN  GIUJS.  303 

man-of-war  "  Talbot "  had  to  show  her  colors  in  mid-ocean,  in  response  to  a 
solid  shot  across  her  bow  from  an  infinitesimal  Yankee  tug,  advancing  upon 
the  mighty  cruiser  as  if  to  engage  her  then  and  there. 

A  later  exhibition  of  American  drollery  was  in  the  form  of  a  fac-simile 
program  of  farewell  exercises  held  on  board  the  flag-ship  off  Santiago  de 
Cuba  on  the  night  before  Lieutenant  Hobson  took  the  ' '  Merrimac  "  into  the 
jaws  of  death.  One  of  the  heroes  who  went  with  Hobson  upon  his  perilous 
mission  asked  that  the  band  on  board  the  flag-ship  that  evening  might  play 
"  There'll  be  a  hot  time  in  the  old  town  to-night.'"  Going  him  one  better, 
the  bandmaster  arranged  for  the  following  elaborate  program  of  specially 
selected  pieces : 

ARMORED  CRUISER  "NEW  YORK," 

FI.AG-SHIP  NORTH  ATLANTIC  STATION. 


Muster.— "Iowa,"  "Texas,"  "Oregon,"  "Dolphin,"  "New  York," 

"  New  Orleans,"  "Massachusetts,"  "  Marblehead, " 

"Mayflower,"  "Brooklyn,"  "Harvard," 

"Porter,"  "Vixen." 


Newspaper  Fleet. — Three  Boats. 


Collier. — "  Merrimac." 
(Farewell.) 


"ON  GUARD"  OFF'"  SANTIAGO  DE  CUBA." 
"  SCHL-EY  "  Men  with  the  strength  of  "  SAMPSON  "  in  the 

"MERRIMAC." 
A  TRUE  NAVAL,  DRAMA— the  real  old  McCoy. 

LATEST  SONG  TO-NIGHT: 

"  Are  you  going  to  come  out  to-night  ?     If  so,  step  lively;  we're 
going  to  lock  the  door." 


PROGRAM  OF  MUSIC. 

MARCH "  For  L,ove  or  War. " ARONSON 

OVERTURE "Bronze  Horse." .  AUBER 

WAI/TZ "Jolly  Brothers." VoLLSTEDT 

"Surprise  Medley." BRAHAM 

"The  Song  That  Reached  My  Heart." JORDAN 

"TheRialto" DEWlTT 


WEDNESDAY,  JUNE  2,  1898, 


304  HONORING   A   DEAD   FOE. 


HONORING  A  DEAD  FOE. 

How  the  American  Troops  Sought  Out  and  Buried  the  Spanish  Hero 

of  El  Caney. 

WHEN  the  complete  history  of  the  Spanish-American  war  comes 
to  be  written,  a  prominent  place  must  be  reserved  for  the  des- 
cription of  an  incident  that  shines  out  from  the  smoke  of  battle 
and  the  strife  and  carnage  of  conflict  like  a  star  in  a  cloudy 
sky.  The  incident  was  the  military  funeral  given  the  body  of  the  Spanish 
general,  Vara  del  Rey,  in  Santiago  last  November,  by  the  American  gov- 
ernor, General  Leonard  Wood.  In  its  thorough  courtesy,  simple  yet  earnest/ 
it  is  unexcelled  in  history.  What  greater  pathos  can  be  found  than  in  the 
spectacle  of  the  aged  general,  Valderrama,  going,  cap  in  liand,  from  his  ship 
in  Santiago  Bay  to  the  palace,  and,  addressing  General  Wood,  saying  : 

"  Sefior,  we  have  come  for  our  dead." 

And  General  Wood,  bluff,  dignified,  courteous  to  the  last  degree,  the 
beau  ideal  of  a  soldier,  with  what  cordiality  did  he  grasp  General  Valder- 
rama's  hand  and  reply  : 

"  Sir,  we  are  at  your  command.  General  Vara  del  Rey  was  a  brave 
man,  and  we  honor  his  memory.  His  body  shall  be  found  and  given  all  the 
military  courtesies  in  our  power." 

General  Wood  forthwith  made  the  visitors  his  guests  of  honor,  and 
deputized  his  personal  aid,  Lieutenant  M.  E.  Hanna,  to  look  for  the  body. 
When  General  Vara  del  Rey  fell,  fighting  at  the  head  of  his  men  at  the 
famous  defence  of  El  Caney  on  July  i,  he  was  buried  on  the  field  by  General 
Lawton,  and  his  grave  duly  marked.  Four  months  later,  when  the  party  of 
Spanish  officers,  escorted  by  Lieutenant  Hanna  and  a  detail  of  the  Fifth 
Regular  Infantry,  began  the  search,  the  marks  had  totally  disappeared,  and 
there  was  nothing  left  among  the  scattered  graves  to  indicate  in  which  rested 
the  remains  of  the  brave  Spanish  general.  After  a  long  search  without 
success,  Lieutenant  Hanna  sought  the  good  offices  of  a  Cuban  who  stated 
that  he  could  locate  the  spot  without  trouble.  He  led  them  to  a  place  just 
outside  of  the  town,  and  said  that  the  Spaniard  would  be  found  there.  Then 
he  walked  away.  After  digging  for  some  time,  a  mass  of  decaying  bones 
was  turned  up — but  they  were  the  bones  of  a  inule.  Enraged  at  the 


HONORING   A  DEAD  FOE.  305 

deception  and  the  insult  directed  at  his  guests,  Lieutenant  Hanna  went  to  the 
alcalde,  or  mayor,  of  the  town,  a  Cuban. 

"  Alcalde,"  he  said,  sternly,  "  by  whose  will  do  you  hold  your  office?  " 

"  His  excellency,  General  Wood's  will,  serior,"  was  the  reply. 

"  Then,  as  you  value  your  position,  find  me  a  guide  who  can  lead  us  to 
the  grave  of  General  Vara  del  Rey.  You  know  where  it  is.  Every  Cuban 
in  El  Caney  knows  where  it  is.  If  we  do  not  find  the  body  within  three 
hours  you  will  pay  the  penalty." 

The  trembling  alcalde  hurriedly  sent  for  a  native,  who  listened  to  the 
alcalde's  orders  with  evident  reluctance,  and  finally  denied  that  he  knew 
the  spot.  Lieutenant  Hanna  acted  promptly.  Producing  a  revolver,  he 
aimed  it  at  the  Cuban  and  exclaimed  sternly  : 

"  Show  us  General  Vara  del  Rey's  grave  at  once,  you  scoundrel.  You 
know  where  it  is.  Lead  us  there  or  I'll  blow  your  head  from  your 
shoulders." 

The  man  was  upon  his  knees  in  a  jiffy.  He  alternately  cried  with  fear 
and  begged  for  mercy.  The  affair  ended  with  the  party  setting  out,  with 
him  in  the  lead.  A  short  distance  from  town,  in  a  field  near  the  road  run- 
ning to  Santiago,  three  mounds  were  found. 

"It  is  one  of  those,  sen  or,"  said  the  frightened  guide.  "Which,  I  do 
not  know,  but  I  am  sure  you  will  find  the  Spaniard  in  one." 

He  was  guarded  while  the  nearest  grave  was  opened.  It  contained  the 
body  of  a  Cuban  youth.  The  earth  was  filled  in  again  and  the  next  disin- 
terred. When  the  features  of  the  occupant  came  to  light  General  Valder- 
rama  crossed  himself  and  exclaimed  with  emotion : 

"It  is  he.     It  is  my  poor  compatriot,  General  Vara  del  Rey." 

The  identification  was  complete,  and  little  time  was  lost  in  transferring 
the  body  to  the  handsome  casket  brought  from  Spain.  On  the  outskirts  of 
Santiago  the  party  was  met  by  a  battalion  of  the  Fifth  Infantry  and  the 
regimental  band.  A  procession  was  formed,  and  the  march  through  the 
town  began.  Lieutenant  Hanna,  Captain  Borden  and  General  Valderrama 
rode  at  the  head,  followed  by  the  band  and  a  battalion  of  American  sol- 
diers. Then  came  the  hearse,  an  imposing  affair,  and  bringing  up  the  rear 
were  a  number  of  Spanish  officers,  who  had  accompanied  the  general.  The 
band  played  a  dirge,  and,  as  the  cortege  passed  the  palace,  General  Wood 
and  staff  stood  at  attention  with  bared  heads.  To  many  of  the  Cuban  spec- 
tators this  display  of  honor  and  courtesy  was  remarkable  and  entirely 
uncalled  for.  They  regarded  General  Vara  del  Rey  as  a  Spaniard,  therefore 
an  enemy,  and,  it  is  unpleasant  to  relate,  they  lost  no  opportunity  to  revile 
his  memory  and  his  remains. 

20 


306  CHARACTER   OF  THE   FILIPINOS. 

The  cortege  proceeded  to  the  wharf,  and  the  coffin  was  taken  on  board  a 
Spanish  steamer  for  transmission  to  Spain.  "  You  belong  to  a  grand  nation," 
said  General  Valderrama  to  Lieutenant  Hanna,  as  he  bade  him  good-bye. 
"  We  will  never  forget  this  day.  The  saints  be  with  you  and  your  people." 


CHARACTER  OF  THE  FILIPINOS, 


A  Race  of  People  who  are  Not  Amenable  to  the  Arts  of  Civilization. 
BY  A.  C.  BUELL,  OF  CRAMP'S  SHIPBUILDING  COMPANY. 

THE  keynote  of  the  singularly  frank  and  lucid  speech  of  the  Presi- 
dent at  the  dinner  of  the  Boston  Home  Market  Club  was  :  "  Con- 
ciliation of  the  Philippine  natives."     Almost  simultaneously  an 
interview  with   General    Otis   was  published  here,  in  which  that 
able  and  gallant  soldier  was  represented  as  saying :  "  No  one  understands 
these  natives."     These  two   utterances,    from  such  widely  different  points 
of  view  and  from   such  sources   of  highest  authority,  suggest  a  problem 
to  which  but  little  attention  has  yet  been  given,  at  least  but  little  attention 
based  upon  real  knowledge  of  the  conditions  which  must  be  met. 

Unquestionably  the  President's  idea  of  "  conciliation  "  springs  from  a 
humane  impulse,  and  embodies  a  hope  based  upon  the  application  of  the 
Philippine  natives  of  optimist  theories  in  anthropology.  Equally  unques- 
tionable is  the  sincerity  of  General  Otis,  who,  speaking  bluntly,  from  obser- 
vation and  experience  on  the  spot,  and  unencumbered  by  theory  of  any 
kind,  says  :  "  No  one  understands  these  natives." 

Judged  by  the  standard   of  any  other  race  of  savages  with  which  the 

forces  of  the  United  States  have  hitherto  had  to  deal,  the  curt  remark  of 

General  Otis  is  true.     The  Philippine  natives  are  partly 

Composition  of     of  th    Malayan  race  and  partly  Papuans  or  Negritos,  the 
the  Philippine 

Natives.  Malays  predominating  numerically,  physically  and    men- 

tally. So  far  as  our  task  in  enforcing  sovereignty  over  the 
islands  is  concerned,  it  may  be  considered  that  the  Malays  form  the  only  serious 
factor. 

The  Malay,  generally  speaking,  is  one  of  the  five  great  sub-divisions  of 
the  human  species,  according  to  the  old  ethnographers,  and  like  the  other 
great  subdivisions,  Caucasian,  Mongolian,  American  and  African,  presents 


CHARACTER  OF  THE  FILIPINOS.  307 

numerous  type,  various  somewhat  in  characteristics  according  to  location 
and  environment,  but  there  is  much  less  diversity  of  type  in  the  Malay  than 
in  any  of  the  other  four  great  races.  The  one  supreme  and  unvarying 
characteristic  of  the  Malay,  wherever  found  or  under  whatsoever  conditions 
of  existence,  is  that  he  is  a  savage,  and  not  only  that,  but  always  and 
everywhere  a  gloomy,  sullen,  saturnine  savage,  utterly  insensible  to  the  logic 
of  civilization  and  wholly  impervious  to  its  arts. 

During  the  four  centuries  of  Spanish  occupation,  considerable  amalga- 
mation has  occurred,  the  result  being,  according  to  standard  authorities,  that 
about  15  per  cent  of  the  whole  population,  say  1,250,000, 

are  "  mestizo,"  or  mixed  breeds,  in  which  Spanish  fathers 

Amalgamation. 

have  given  the  names  of  that  language  to  half-breed 
offsprings  of  Malay  mothers,  the  Spanish  women  seldom  or  never  allying 
themselves  with  Malay  men.  These  "  half-castes,"  or  "  mestizos,"  are  the 
real  "  Filipinos,"  according  to  the  strict  Spanish  meaning,  though  the  word 
seems  to  have  been  adopted  by  the  American  and  English  newspapers  as 
descriptive  of  the  population  as  a  whole. 

The  effect  of  this  cross-breeding  of  the  Spaniard  with  the  Malay  savage 
is  a  general  type  in  which  the  notorious  national  vices  of  the  former  have 
been  engrafted  upon  the  racial,  traditional  and  hereditary  savagery  of  the 
latter.     If  there  ever  was  anything  in  th4e  so-called  "  civili- 
zation "  of  Spain  that  could  possibly  improve,  elevate  or    A"  Admix'ure  of 

Vicious  Traits. 
enlighten  a  savage  race  by  contact  and  admixture,  it  has 

always  been  conspicuously  absent  from  any  results  apparent  in  the  Philip- 
pine Islands.  On  the  other  hand,  the  amalgamation  has  accomplished 
nothing  except  to  add  to  the  racial  distrust,  jealousy,  treachery  and  murder 
mania  of  the  Malay  ;  the  characteristic  bigotry,  bombast  and  duplicity  of  the 
Spaniard  at  his  worst,  the  net  result  being,  beyond  doubt,  the  worst  develop- 
ment of  the  human  species  on  the  face  of  the  earth. 

The  American  Indian,  the  African,  the  Mongolian,  even  the  fierce 
nomads  of  Central  Asia,  have  been  known  to  respond  in  some  degree  to  the 
arts  of  civilization,  and  to  yield  somewhat  to  the  precepts  of  enlightenment. 
But  in  all  the  history  of  his  contact  with  the  white  man,  not  one  instance 
is  recorded  of  the  civilization  of  the  Malay,  either  as  a  pure-blood  or  as  a 
half-caste.  He  has  at  times  been  subdued  or  temporarily  held  in  check,  but 
it  has  been  done  only  when  the  white  man  succeeded  in  * '  out-savaging  him 
at  his  own  savagery,"  as  the  English  do  in  the  Straits  Settlements  and  India, 
and  the  Dutch  in  Sumatra,  Java  and  the  Timorean  group. 

But  though  sometimes  subdued,  or  held  in  check,  the  Malay  has  never 
been  "conciliated"  by  anybody  in  the  proper  sense  of  the  term.  No  matter 


3o8  CHARACTER   OF  THE   FILIPINOS. 

what  means  have  been  employed  to  cow  him  or  constrain  him,  or  to  impress  his 
ferocious  instincts,  he  remains  at  bottom  the  same  wild  animal,  :he  same 
untamable  beast  of  prey  in  human  shape,  ready  for  a  new  outbreak  the 
instant  he  thinks  the  vigilance  of  his  conqueror  relaxed,  or  the  heavy  hand 
lifted  for  a  moment  from  his  neck. 

The  English  system  of  blowing  Oriental  fanatics  from  the  muzzles  of 
cannon,  and  the  Dutch  system  of  emasculating  them,  are  based,  not  upon  a 
refinement  of  cruelty,  as  is  often  supposed,  but  upon  a  deliberate  selection 
of  exemplary  punishment,  calculated  to  appeal  most  effectively  to  the  super- 
stition and  sense  of  horror  of  those  with  whom  they  have  to  deal.  In  all 
the  Oriental  creeds,  Musselman  and  Pagan  alike,  the  doctrine  is  universal 
that  no  man  whose  organs  have  been  mutilated  can  enter  the  kingdom  of 
heaven.  This  effect  is  produced  by  both  the  English  process  of  blowing 
from  the  cannon's  mouth,  and  by  the  simpler  and  more  direct  surgery  of  the 
Dutch. 

In  the    estimation  of  the  Oriental    Moslems  and  Pagans  it,  therefore, 

amounts  to  eternal  punishment.   Simple  death,  either  in  battle  or  by  ordinary 

modes  of  execution  is  not  dreaded  by  these  people.     But 

Death  is  Not        they  do  dread  and  shrink  from  mutilation  or  defilement  of 

Mutilation"        t^ie  body,  which  in  their  creed  is  held  to  deny  all  hope  of 

Horrifies.  happiness  in  the  next  world.  In  short,  nothing  in  the 
punitive  way  can  appeal  to  the  Malay  sense  unless  it  be 
something,  that  from  his  point  of  view,  is  more  horrible  than  the  devices  of 
his  own  savagery. 

A  quaint  instance  in  proof  is  related  in  an  old  scrapbook  of  "  Anecdotes 
of  the  Whale  Fishery,"  compiled  by  one  of  my  Nan  tucket  ancestors.  Along 
in  the  '2os,  '305,  '405  and  '505  of  this  century,  the  last  years  of  the 
whaling  industry,  whaleships  operating  in  the  Indian  and  West  Pacific 
Oceans  used  frequently  to  recruit  their  crews  in  the  Malay  Islands.  These 
recruits  were  principally  drawn  from  Timor,  the  easternmost  island  of  the 
Javan  archipelago,  because  that  island  lay  in  the  track  of  whalers  passing 
from  one  ocean  to  the  other  through  the  Straits  of  New  Guinea,  and  its 
harbors — Coupang,  etc. — were  the  best  in  that  part  of  the  world. 

The  Malay  of  Timor  has  long  been  noted  as  the  most  perfect  specimen 
of  his  race,  physically  and  mentally,  and  he  is  the  best  seaman  of  any  race 
not  Caucasian.  Early  in  the  '308  the  whaleship  "  Phoenix,"  of  Nantucket, 
Captain  Gardner,  having  spent  a  season  in  the  Indian  Ocean,  ran  up  through 
the  narrow  seas  of  New  Guinea,  bound  for  the  Japan  whaling  ground.  The 
crew  being  reduced  by  sickness,  Captain  Gardner  touched  at  Coupang  and 
shipped  nine  Malays,  most  of  whom  had  already  sailed  in  American  or 


CHARACTER   OF  THE  FILIPINOS.  309 

English  whalers.  They  soon  proved  to  be  an  exceptionally  hard  lot,  one  in 
particular  being  almost  constantly  refractory.  Finally,  one  day  the  first  mate, 
William  Starbuck,  of  Nantncket,  chastised  this  Malay  with  a  rope's  end.  Well 
aware  of  the  treacherous  and  revengeful  character  of  his  customer,  Starbuck 
kept  his  weather  eye  on  the  man.  One  day  not  long  afterward,  while  the 
first  mate's  watch  was  washing  down  decks  after  cutting  up  a  sperm  whale, 
the  Malay,  seeing  Starbuck' s  attention  directed  to  something  aloft,  whipped  a 
short  "  creese  knife  "  from  his  shirt  and  darted  a  stab  at  the  mate's  back.  The 
knife  found  its  mark,  but  glanced  along  a  rib  without  penetrating  the  body. 
Quicker  than  thought  Starbuck  whirled  around,  seized  the  Malay's  right 
wrist  with  one  hand  and  his  shoulder  with  the  other  and  threw  him  to  the 
deck.  Starbuck  had  two  loaded  pistols  in  his  belt  and  might  easily  have  blown 
the  Malay's  brains  out.  But  he  knew  the  breed  too  well  for  that.  To  kill 
him  in  that  manner  would  only  invite  vengeance  from  the 
other  Malays.  It  was  necessary  to  give  him  something  °w  arMUC. 
that  in  the  Malay  estimation  would  be  more  horrible 
than  sudden  death.  So  "  Bill "  Starbuck,  a  giant  in  strength,  took  the 
Malay's  right  arm,  placed  his  knee  against  the  elbow  and  deliberately  broke 
it  backward,  "  the  bones  and  tendons,"  says  the  old  scrapbook,  "  of  the 
doomed  limb  snapping  like  so  many  pine  twigs  as  the  joint  yielded  to  the 
Samson-like  strength  of  the  pitiless  mate.  With  one  long  howl  of  rage 
and  anguish  the  Malay  quivered  convulsively  and  fainted.  Rising  to  his 
feet  Starbuck  ordered  a  couple  of  buckets  of  water  thrown  over  the  quiv- 
ering wretch  and  walked  away,  remarking,  "  The  mud-colored  devil  will 
have  to  stab  left-handed  hereafter." 

"  The  Malay  came  to  out  of  his  faint,"  pursues  the  old  book,  "  but  he 
never  recovered.  An  attempt  was  made  to  straighten  the  arm  and  put  it  in 
splints,  but  the  torn  flesh  and  broken  bones  and  tendons  were  past  healing. 
The  shock  proved  too  much  for  the  victim's  system,  and  gangrene  soon  set 
iu.  The  wretched  Malay  lingered  for  about  four  weeks  in  horrible  agony 
and  then  died.  It  was  fearful  discipline,  but  nothing  short  of  it  would  have, 
sufficed.  During  the  rest  of  the  voyage,  about  fourteen  months,  the.  other 
eight  Malays  were  as  docile  as  rabbits.  None  of  them  wanted  their  elbows 
broken  across  Bill  Starbuck's  knee  !  " 

The  lesson  of  this  anecdote  is  of  historical  value  just  now.  Unlike 
General  Otis,  Bill  Starbuck  understood  the  natives.  He  knew  how  to 
"  conciliate  "  them,  though  his  method  was  doubtless  radically  different  from 
that  contemplated  by  our  President.  The  reason  why  the  other  eight  Malays 
in  the  "Phoenix's"  crew  were  conciliated  was  because  Bill  Starbuck,  from 


310  UNDER   TWO  FLAGS. 

their  point  of  view,  was  a  fiercer  and  crueler  savage  than  any  Malay  ever 
dared  be,  and  because  his  exhibition  of  physical  prowess  had  stricken  them 
with  awe  and  terror. 

The  prospect  of  dealing  with  such  savages  in  the  hope  of  educating 
them  up  to  the  point  at  which  they  may  comprehend  the  meaning  of  govern- 
ment by  the  consent  of  the  governed,  is  not  an  inviting  one.  At  present  they 
have  no  conception  of  any  meaning  to  the  word  "  government,"  except  as  a 
synonym  of  organized  plunder  or  systematic  rapine.  In  dealing  with  such 
a  race  it  is  much  easier  to  "take  up  the  white  man's  burden  "  at  the  wrong 
end  than  at  the  right  end. 

The  captain  of  the  "  Phoenix  "  was  Paul  Jones  Gardner,  youngest  son 
of  Henry  Grafton  Gardner,  who  served  five  years  in  the  Revolution  under 
Paul  Jones,  and  was  acting  gunner  of  the  "  Bon  Homme  Richard  "  when  she 
took  the  "  Serapis"  in  1779,  while  Bill  Starbuck,  then  not  more  than  twenty- 
three  or  twenty-four  years  old,  was  a  grandson  of  Owen  Starbuck,  who  was 
quarter  gunner  in  the  "  Ranger  "  under  Jones  when  she  took  the  "  Drake  " 
off  Carrickfergus  in  1778. 


UNDER  TWO  FLAGS. 


A  Hero  of  the  Blue  and  the  Gray. 

BY  AN  OLD  COMRADE. 

( ORNE  to  the  battlefield  one  day  on  a  litter  because  he  was  too  sick  to 
walk  ;  climbing  a  tree  another  day  like  a  schoolboy,  in  order  to  get 
a  better  peep  at  the  enemy's  Santiago  intrenchments  ;  incessantly 
on  the  go  among  his  troops  and  officers,  and  filling  up  the  few  gaps 
of  spare  moments  with  first-class  newspaper  letters  lauding  the  gallant  work 
of  his  boys  in  the  field — such  are  some  telling  snap  shots  at  "  Fighting  Joe  " 
Wheeler.  He  is  a  "steam  engine  in  pantaloons,"  they  say,  and  carries  his 
sixty-three  years  as  easily  as  he  would  a  bamboo  cane.  By  the  side  of  the 
mammoth  Shafter,  nearly  a  3OO-pounder,  the  little  general's  one  hundred 
and  fifteen  pounds  of  very  spare  meat  and  small  bones  make  him  look  like  a 
pocket  edition  of  a  warrior. 

Next  to  General  J.  E.  B.  Stuart,  Wheeler  was  by  odds  the  best  and 
nerviest  cavalry  leader  on  the  Confederate  side.  He  was  one  of  the  gallant 
"  batch  of  Confederate  devils,"  as  Sherman  called  them,  who  made  the  latter's 


UNDER  TWO  FLAGS.  311 

march  to  the  sea  such  a  thorny  enterprise.  He  so  distinguished  himself  that 
in  1865  he  was  appointed  a  lieutenant-general,  and  at  the  close  of  the  war  was 
in  command  of  the  cavalry  operating  with  the  forces  of  General  Joe  Johnston. 
The  infantry  of  the  Union  armies  in  the  West  were  more  familiar  with 
the  names  of  Wheeler,  Forrest  and  Morgan  than  with  the  names  of  any 
other  Confederate  generals.  "  They  were  nearly  always 

where  we  didn't  want  them  to  be,  and  they  gave  us  lots  of  ™c  Dash,in*  Ralds 

of  General  Wheeler, 
trouble,"  says  a  retired  Union  major.      ''I  never  forgave 

General  Wheeler  for  his  raid  around  our  army  at  Stone  River.  Just  as  we 
were  having  all  we  could  attend  to  in  front,  Wheeler  left  the  extreme  right  of 
the  Confederate  Army,  made  a  dash  to  the  rear  of  Rosecrans'  army,  captured 
and  destroyed  wagon  trains,  captured  hospital  trains  with  our  wounded, 
burned  everything  burnable,  evaded  our  own  cavalry  columns  and  in  two 
days  reached  the  left  wing  of  the  Confederate  army,  as  one  of  the  boys  put 
it,  fresh  as  a  daisy." 

Wheeler  was  born  at  Augusta,  Ga.,  and  graduated  at  West  Point  in  the 
class  of  '59.  When  the  break  came  between  North  and  South  he  resigned 
his  commission  in  the  United  States  army  and  was  appointed  colonel  of  the 
Nineteenth  Alabama  Infantry.  He  commanded  a  brigade  at  Shiloh.  Next 
he  was  transferred  to  the  cavalry,  and  in  1862  was  ^placed  over  that  arm  of 
the  service  under  Braxton  Bragg,  in  the  West.  A  major-general  in  1863,  he 
rled  the  Confederate  cavalry  on  the  bloody  and  stubborn  battlefield  of  Chicka- 
mauga.  "The  recognition  of  Joe  Wheeler  in  the  uniform  of  a  United 
States  general,"  said  one  of  his  old  soldiers  recently,  "impresses  all  those 
who  shared  for  years  the  hardships,  privations  and  dangers  which  he  under- 
went as  a  Confederate  cavalry  leader,  as  one  of  those  incomprehensible  events 
that  the  whirligig  of  time  brings  about." 

General  Wheeler  as  he  appeared  during  the  Civil  War  was  youthful, 
almost  boyish,  except  for  a  heavy  silken  beard  ;  neat  and  dapper  in  dress,  as 
gentle  mannered  as  a  woman,  refined  in  expression,  never  indulging  in  oaths 
or  rude  speech.  I  have  seen  him  blush  to  the  roots  of  his  hair  at  the  recital 
of  some  objectionable  story  or  coarse  remark  of  some  rough  officer,  whom 
he  valued  for  his  zeal  and  courage. 

It  was  when  the  battle  was  joined,  however,  that  Wheeler  was  seen  at 
his  best.     Then  it  was  that  the  little  general,  mounted  on  his  big  black 
charger,  seemed  to  grow  to  the  full  stature  of  a  cavalry- 
man.    The  whole  man,  who  but  an  hour  ago  was   the 

of    Daring. 

suave  and   courteous   gentleman,    became    the    alert   and 
dangerous  antagonist,  regardless  of  bursting  shells  and  singing  bullets,  look- 
ing intently  for  the  opportunity  to  charge  the  columns  opposing  him.     A," 


3i2  UNDER  TWO   FLAGS. 

he  gave  his  orders,  in  his  lisping  speech, there  was  method  and  deliberation 
that  comprehended  the  situation.  The  celerity  of  his  movements  and  his 
restless  activity  gave  his  command  but  little  repose.  If  it  were  not  an  attack 
that  he  was  planning  he  was  organizing  a  raid  to  burn  bridges  or  tear  up  the 
railroads  in  the  rear  of  the  enemy.  So  that  to  ride  with  Wheeler  was  to 
live  in  the  saddle,  to  sleep  in  the  saddle,  to  be  here  to-day,  but  far  away  to- 
morrow. General  Wheeler  is  a  much  older  man  now  ;  his  locks-are  white,  but 
he  is  still  vigorous  and  active,  as  keen  for  attack  in  his  blue  uniform  upon 
the  enemies  of  the  Stars  and  Stripes  as  he  ever  was  upon  those  of  the  stars 
and  bars  when  he  wore  the  gray. 

The  little  general  is  a  bunch  of  alert,  indefatigable  nerves  and  fibres. 
He  never  rests.  As  a  member  of  Congress  from  Alabama  for  seven  terms 
he  used  to  serve  lazy  members  as  a  horrible  example  of  industry.  Yoju 
never  found  him  in  the  cloak  room  with  his  feet  cocked  up,  taking  it  easy. 
He  kept  five  secretaries  on  the  go  all  the  time  hunting  down  facts  and  figures 
for  speeches,  and  they  found  so  much  game  in  roaming  through  the  depart- 
ment archives  that  "  Fighting  Joe "  seldom  let  a  day  pass  without  firing 
some  of  his  ammunition  on  the  floor.  They  say  he  spreads  over  more  space 
in  the  Congressional  Record  than  any  three  men  in  the  House.  Alabama  is 
kept  flooded  with  his  franked  speeches  and  documents  of  that  alluring  char- 
acter that  burst  in  such  a  Johnstown  avalanche  from  the  government  printing 
office.  It  is  told  that  as  the  general  was  riding  about  his  home  district  one  day 
he  overtook  a  mail  carrier  on  foot.  He  took  the  fellow  up  in  his  buggy  and 
asked  him  why  he  did  not  have  a  horse.  "  I  did  have 
His  Generosity  one>"  ne  said,  "  but  old  Wheeler  sent  down  so  many  docu- 
ments from  Washington  that  it  killed  him  in  trying  to 
deliver  them."  And  it  is  added  that  the  carrier  soon  afterward  received  a 
present  of  a  new  horse.  The  story  may  be  mythical,  but  when  a  member 
repeated  it  to  the  general  he  laughed  and  admitted  that  the  statement  was 
founded  on  fact. 

When  the  trouble  with  Spain  began  this  fighting  ex-Confederate  was 
among  the  first  to  offer  his  services  to  the  President,  and  they  were  at  once 
snapped  up  with  the  hearty,  unanimous  approval  of  the  nation.  He  was 
very  proud,  they  say,  when  he  got  into  the  blue  at  Chickamauga  Camp, 
among  the  scenes  where  he  had  fought  so  fiercely  against  the  flag  he  is  serv- 
ing now.  Restless  till  he  got  to  the  front,  impetuously  brave  in  action 
to-day,  as  he  was  a  generation  ago,  respected  and  revered  as  soldier  and  gen- 
tleman by  his  entire  command,  and  thoroughly  enjoying  the  fullest  confidence 
of  the  President  and  Congress,  what  finer  object  lesson  can  be  found  of  the 
new-born  patriotism  that  has  thrilled  and  welded  the  country,  than  this  hero 
of  the  gray  leading  regiments  on  the  Cuban  hills  in  the  blue  1 


HEROES  IN  THE  HOLD.  313 


HEROES  IN  THE  HOLD. 

WHILE  unlimited  praise  has  been  given  to  the  gallant  man  who 
stood  on  the  bridge  of  the  fated  "  Merrimac,"  and  to  his  com- 
panions who  were  at  their  perilous  posts  of  duty  on  the  upper 
deck,  on  that  memorable  morning  in  Santiago  harbor,  let  us 
not  forget  the  heroes  in  the  "  stoke  hole." 

If  Lieutenant  Hobson  and  his  associates  were  brave,  what  is  to  be  said 
of  the  sublime  courage  of  the  engineer  whose  ha/nd  was  at  the  throttle,  and 
the  firemen  who  shoveled  coal  into  the  blazing  furnaces  as  the  good  ship 
sailed  into  the  jaws  of  death  ?  Here  were  heroes,  indeed — heroes  of  song 
and  story,  of  romance  and  rhyme,  such  as  might  inspire  poets  to  the  loftiest 
flights  and  the  pen  of  the  historian  with  glowing  imagery. 

On  the  bridge  stood  a  man  who  played  in  the  great  lottery  for  the 
grandest  prize  of  life.  Whether  he  lost  or  won,  enduring  fame  was  his. 
Success  meant  the  listing  of  his  name  on  the  roll  of  immortality  along  with 
those  of  Dewey,  Schley,  Paul  Jones,  Decatur,  Perry  and  Farragut.  What 
a  laurel  wreath  of  everlasting  glory  for  one  single  act  in  the  great  drama  of 
war !  But  down  in  the  hold,  twenty  feet  below  the  surface  of  the  rolling 
billows,  in  ominous  darkness  relieved  only  by  the  light  of  flickering  lamps, 
no  sounds  save  the  drone  of  the  engine,  the  creaking  of  the  hull  and  the 
swash  of  the  lashing  waves  came  to  tell  aught  of  what  was  transpiring 
above.  Nothing  but  the  soul  of  valor  to  inspire  such  men  !  No  place  for 
them  on  fame's  eternal  camping  ground.  Nothing  but  the  self-same  spirit 
of  Jim  Bludsoe  to  keep  "  her  nozzle  agin  the  bank  "  till  all  but  himself  were 
safe  on  shore.  The  man  with  his  hand  upon  the  valve  and  his  keen  ear 
intent  upon  the  warning  bells,  the  men,  grimy,  sweating,  blackened, 
furiously  piling  coal  into  the  yawning,  roaring  furnaces — neither  knowing 
when  the  dread  explosion  would  come  that  might  send  them,  torn  to  frag- 
ments and  scattered  upon  the  four  winds,  to  their  fearful  doom — these  were 
the  real  heroes  of  the  "  Merrimac." 

They  knew  there  would  be  no  lasting  reward  for  them,  no  glorious 
heritage  which  they  could  transmit  to  their  children,  no  renown  such  as 
would  envelop  the  leaders  at  Thermopylae,  at  the  Alamo,  or  the  cool  and 
daring  lieutenant  on  the  bridge  above  them.  To  them  it  was  duty,  plain 
and  simple,  humble  and  obscure,  with  the  full  knowledge  that  the  reward 
must  be  the  consciousness  of  duty  well  performed.  No  substantial  promo- 
tion, only  a  fleeting  notoriety,  no  pointing  to  the  way  where  glory  waits. 


3H  SONG  OF  THE    BATTLESHIP  STOKERS. 

All  honor,  say  we,  to  the  intrepid  engineers  and  the  firemen  of  our  war 
ships!  Long  may  their  memories  be  preserved  by  their  admiring  country- 
men !  All  honor  to  men  whose  only  reward  is  the  consciousness  of  duty 
well  performed ! 


SONG  OF  THE  BATTLESHIP  STOKERS.* 

BY  KATHARINE  COOUDGE. 

HEAVE  on  the  coal,  to  win  the  goal 
Of  a  blasting  ocean  war ! 
By  pits  of  hell  stand  sentinel, 
As  the  deadly  cannon  roar. 
The  engines  beat  in  blanching  heat, 
Our  battleship  ploughs  her  course, 
Up  there  they  fight  in  cool  daylight, 
While  we  feed  the  monster's  force. 

Over  the  sea,  our  battery 

Will  lay  waste  the  upper  world  ; 
And  far  from  fame  we  feed  the  flame, 

As  the  bursting  bombs  are  hurled. 
We  cannot  know  the  ebb  and  flow 

Of  the  battle's  rushing  tide, 
But  hear  the  boom  of  unknown  doom 

Where  the  thundering  warships  ride. 

Each  moment  passed  may  be  our  last, 

For  the  crashing  bomb-shells  fly, 
And  fires  of  fate  reverberate 

In  the  wide,  smoke-laden  sky. 
In  lurid  night  we  feed  the  fight, 

As  the  belching  cannon  roar. 
Heave  on  the  coal,  to  win  the  goal 

Of  our  country's  ocean  war  ! 


HOW   IT  FEELS  TO  BE  UNDER  FIRE.  315 


HOW  IT  FEELS  TO  BE  UNDER  FIRE. 

A  Realistic  Description  of  a  Bloody  Engagement  by  One  Who 

Participated. 

BY  JOHN  G.  WINTER,  JR. 

MR.  WINTER,  who  is  barely  twenty-one  years  of  age,  comes  from  a  fighting  family; 
his  grandfather,  thrice  removed,  was  on  the  staff  of  General  George  Washington; 
his  father  served  under  Fitzhugh  Lee,  and  also  under  General  Wheeler,  in  the 
Civil  War,  and,  singularly  enough,  he  has  two  sons,  one  of  whom  served  under 
General  Ivee  and  the  other  under  General  Wheeler  during  the  war  with  Spain. 
The  young  Santiago  hero  was  graduated  from  the  University  of  Virginia,  and  had  the  distinc- 
tion of  being  the  best  all-round  athlete  of  that  institution.     Previously,  he  was  graduated  from 
the  military  academy,  where  he  and  his  brother,  who  was  valedictorian,  were  two  of  the 
four  who  took  first  honors.    Young  Winters  was  with  the  Rough  Riders  in  front  of  Santiago,  and 
was  severely  wounded  before  Siboney,  on  the  first  day  of  July. 

It  is  of  an  ever  memorable  experience  that  I  write,  one  which  the  whole 
nation  felt  much  interest  in,  but  to  me  it  is  one*  specially  to  be  remembered 
for  reasons  I  will  presently  give. 

Our  march  toward  Santiago  was  by  regiment  in  line  of  battle  ;  F  troop, 
which  was  on  the  extreme  left,  took  position  on  the  brow  of  a  low  hill. 
Except  for  the  troops  next  to  F,  I  soon  lost  track  of  the  movements  of  the 
other  men.  Then  came  the  most  unique  experience  of  my  life,  and  one  I  shall 
never  forget ;  both  lines  opened  fire,  and  Mauser  bullets  began  to  whistle 
around  our  heads.  The  Spaniards  were  on  a  hill  and  in  a  sunken  road 
immediately  opposite  to  us,  and  in  a  position  of  no  disadvantage.  They  had 
several  machine-guns,  which  were  quickly  put  in  action,  and  then  the  men 
began  to  drop.  You  have  never  been  under  the  fire  of  a  gun  shooting  300 
times  a  minute  ;  this  is  one  of  the  first  battles  in  civilized  warfare  in  which 
it  has  been  used.  When  the  bullets  strike  the  ground  they  all  appear  to  do 
so  at  once,  and  as  if  they  were  strung  out  in  a  row.  One  man  in  my  squad 
was  struck  in  three  places  simultaneously.  It  would  be  difficult — almost 
impossible — for  me  to  describe  clearly  my  feelings  during  the  first  part  of 
the  engagement.  I  felt  very  much  as  if  I  was  shooting  doves,  and  held  my 
carbine  in  the  same  position,  advancing  slowly,  excited,  and  impatient  for 
the  order  to  "  Fire  at  will."  For  the  first  half-hour  I  loaded,  aimed  and 
shot  a3  fast  as  my  hands  and  eyes  could  work,  but  after  a  while  the  first 


HOW   IT   FEELS  TO   BE  UNDER   FIRE. 


excitement  of  the  fight  passed  off,  and  I  worked  more  calmly  and  method- 
ically. I  cannot  say  whether  or  not  my  shots  had  any  effect,  but  for  the 
most  part  I  directed  my  fire  toward  a  kind  of  blockhouse  in  which  there 
were  a  large  number  of  Spaniards.  At  one  stage  of  the  fight  the  enemy 
made  a  movement  toward  our  .right,  and  the  troops  on  the  left,  considerably 
scattered,  were  ordered  to  march  "  by  the  right  flank,  double  time. "  It  was 
not  until  this  moment  that  I  realized  the  horror  of  war.  There  was  a  man 
named  Irvine  in  our  troop  with  whom  I  had  been  thrown  a  good  deal.  We 
had  become  as  close  friends  as  an  acquaintanceship  of  several  weeks  could 
make  us,  and  we  had  been  fighting  together  a  good  deal.  In  executing  the 
order  just  mentioned  he  was  a  little  in  front  of  me  and  to  one  side,  both  of 
us  running  ;  there  were  a  number  of  dead  around,  and  several  wounded  that 
had  not  been  taken  to  the  rear,  and  the  sight  of  them  stirred  me  greatly  ; 
but  as  I  looked  at  the  man  in  front  of  me  the  breath  left 
my  body  for  the  moment  as  the  whole  top  of  his  head  flew 
up  in  the  air,  his  skull  blown  to  atoms  by  an  explosive 
bullet.  He  fell  heavily  with  a  thud,  and  I  ran  on  past  his  body,  but  I  knew 
at  last  the  meaning  of  the  phrase,  "  The  art  of  war."  He  was  the  only  man 
that  I  saw  killed  ;  it  was  but  a  short  time  before  the  enemy  were  run  out  of 
their  position,  retreating  toward  Santiago.  We  lost  about  sixty  killed, 
wounded  and  missing,  a  little  less  than  10  per  cent,  and  the  Rough  Riders 
buried  105  Spaniards.  A  fitting  end  to  the  battle  was  the  burial  of  our  own 
dead  ;  they  were  all  put  in  one  grave.  The  men  were  grouped  with  bared 
heads  around  the  grave,  while  the  chaplain  read  a  chapter  from  the  Bible  ; 
then  all  sang  "  Nearer,  My  God  to  Thee."  "  Taps  "  were  sounded  over  the 
grave,  and  the  services  ended  with  prayer. 


A  Comrade's  Head 
Shot  Off. 


WHEN  THE  GREAT  GRAY  SHIPS  COME  IN.  317 

WHEN  THE  GREAT  GRAY  SHIPS  COME  IN. 

BY  GUY  WETMORE  CARRYL. 


a"AO  eastward  ringing,  to  westward  winging,  o'er  mapless  miles  of  sea, 
On  winds  and  tides  the  gospel  rides  that  the  furthermost  isles  are 
free, 

And  the  furthermost  isles  make  answer,  harbor,  and  height,  and  hill, 
Breaker  and  beach  cry  each  to  each,  "  'Tis  the  Mother  who  calls  !    Be  still  !  " 
Mother  !  new-found,  beloved,  and  strong  to  hold  from  harm, 
Stretching  to  these  across  the  seas  the  shield  of  her  sovereign  arm, 
Who  summoned  the  guns  of  her  sailor  sons,  who  bade  her  navies  roam, 
Who  calls  again  to  the  leagues  of  main,  and  who  calls  them  this  time  home  ! 

And  the  great  gray  ships  are  silent,  and  the  weary  watchers  rest, 

The  black  cloud  dies  in  the  August  skies,  and  deep  in  the  golden  west 

Invisible  hands  are  limning  a  glory  of  crimson  bars, 

And  far  above  is  the  wonder  of  a  myriad  wakened  stars  ! 

Peace  !  As  the  tidings  silence  the  strenuous  cannonade, 

Peace  at  last  !  is  the  bugle-blast  the  length  of  the  long  blockade, 

And  eyes  of  vigil  weary  are  lit  with  the  glad  release, 

From  ship  to  ship  and  from  lip  to  lip  it  is  "  Peace!   Thank  God  for  peace  !  " 

Ah,  in  the  sweet  hereafter  Columbia  still  shall  show 

The  sons  of  these  who  swept  the  seas  how  she  bade  them  rise  and  go  ; 

How,  when  the  stirring  summons  smote  on  her  children's  ear, 

South  and  North  at  the  call  stood  forth,  and   the  whole   land   answered 

"  Here  !  " 

For  the  soul  of  the  soldier's  story  and  the  heart  of  the  sailor's  song, 
Are  all  of  those  who  meet  their  foes  as  right  should  meet  with  wrong, 
Who  fight  their  guns  till  the  foeman  runs,  and  then,  on  the  decks  they  trod, 
Brave  faces  raise,  and  give  the  praise  to  the  grace  of  their  country's  God  ! 

Yes,  it  is  good  to  battle,  and  good  to  be  strong  and  free, 
To  carry  the  hearts  of  the  people  to  the  uttermost  ends  of  sea, 
To  see  the  day  steal  up  the  bay  where  the  enemy  lies  in  wait, 
To  run  your"  ship  to  the  harbor's  lip  and  sink  her  across  the  strait  :  — 
But  better  the  golden  evening  when  the  ships  round  heads  for  home 
And  the  long  gray  miles  slip  swiftly  past  in  a  swirl  of  seething  foam, 
And  the  people  wait  at  the  haven's  gate  to  greet  the  men  who  win  ! 
Thank  God  for  peace!    Thank  God  for  peace,  when  the  great  gray  ships 
come  in  ! 


3i8  AMERICAN   PATRIOTISM   IN   WAR. 

AMERICAN  PATRIOTISM  IN  WAR. 


The  Loyalty  that  Guards  with  Unconquerable  Courage  the  National 

Banner. 

BY  CARL  SCHURZ. 

WHATEVER  Spain  may   think  as  to  her  honor,   whether  it  be 
satisfied  or  not,  it  is  clear  that  neither  in-  courage  nor  in  intelli- 
gence are  her  navy  and  army  capable  of  coping  successfully 
with   the   sailors   and  soldiers   of  the   United    States.     These 
have  added  new   names  to  the  list    of    our    national    heroes,    and    new 
glories  to  our    constellation    of  victories.     It    has    been    the     fashion     to 
say    that     long    years    of    peace   and     commercialism    have .  sapped     the 
spiritual  virtues  of  our  people,  and  that  so  engrossed  have  we  been  in  the 
arts  of  money-making,  so  corrupted  have  we  become  in  consequence  of  the 
partnership  which  interested  persons  have  succeeded  in  establishing  between 
the  government  and  private  business  interests,  that  the  war  spirit  and  the 
war  courage  have  gone  out  of  our  blood.     It  was  the  habit  of  the  superficial 
diplomats  which  the  continental  nations  of  Europe  are  accustomed  to  send 
to  Washington  to  sneer  at  us,  as  the  French  have  sneered  at  the  English,  as 
a  nation  of  "  shopkeepers,"  and  immediately  before  the  breaking  out  of  the 

present  war  these  gentlemen  filled  the  drawing  rooms  of  the 
The  Prophets  of  ? 

Cowardice         capital  with  the    prediction  that  there  would  be  no  war, 

because  the  Yankees  were  too  fond  of  money  to  fight. 
But  the  prophets  of  cowardice  are  now  seeing  their  mistake,  just  as  the 
French  ought  to  have  recognized  their  mistake  long  ago  on  the  field  of 
Waterloo. 

The  American  people  in  arms  are  fighting  as  they  have  always  fought, 
and  as  they  will  probably  continue  to  fight  whenever  they  make  or  accept 
war.  In  this  war  they  have  already  given  abundant  evidence  of  a  wonderful 
morale,  a  steadiness  of  heart,  a  coolness  of  head,  and,  above  all,  of  a  fervid 
patriotism.  On  sea  and  land  these  men  of  arms  of  ours  have  gone  into 
action  with  the  dash,  the  discipline,  and  the  cautiousness  of  old  campaigners. 
Only  once  has  there  been  a  question  raised  as  to  the  self-possession  or  self- 
restraint  of  any  of  our  men  who  have  met  the  enemy,  and  that  in  the  battle 
of  Sevilla  Heights,  where  there  may  have  been  a  little  recklessness  and  a 
too  eager  push  forward,  not  at  all  surprising  when  we  consider  the  freshness 


AMERICAN   PATRIOTISM   IN   WAR.  319 

of  the  command  and  the  eagerness  shown  by  both  officers  and  men  to  fight. 
But,  on  the  other  hand,  there  was  so  much  glory  won  in  that  hard  struggle 
by  and  for  those  who  were  in  it,  for  the  American  name,  for  all  of  us,  that 
the  excess  of  enthusiasm,  if  there  was  any,  is  worthy  of  mention  only  to 
forestall  a  criticism  that  might  be  invited  by  what  would  appear  as  too  lib- 
eral praise  to  such  minds  as  often  miss  the  splendor  of  a  perfect  night  in 
their  analysis  of  the  revelations  of  a  spectroscope.  We  owe  this  explanation 
to  the  "  Rough  Riders  "  who  fought  in  those  fearful  woods  where  bullets 
rushed  from  mysterious  shadows,  because  we  would  not  by  any  apparent 
minuteness  of  ignorance  on  our  part  have  their  demerits  discussed  by  critics 
who  might  be  silent  were  they  warned  in  advance  that  slight  spots  on  a 
glorious  life  are  invisible,  not  only  to  the  generous,  but  to  the  truly  appre- 
ciative eye.  From  Manila  to  Guantanamo  and  Sevilla  Heights  our  sailors 
and  soldiers  have  done  their  duty  in  obedience  to  skillful  and  altogether 
worthy  officers.  Dewey's  entrance  into  the  harbor  of 
Manila  was  itself  one  of  those  splendid  examples  of  intel-  Brave  Temerjt 
ligent  and  brave  temerity  that  mark  the  men  capable  of 
them  as  the  geniuses  of  war.  The  deed  of  courage  which  was  performed  by 
Hobson  and  his  men  is  but  a  conspicuous  example  of  the  conduct  of  our  sea 
and  land  forces  on  every  occasion  that  has  been  presented  to  them.  The 
cable-cutting  at  Cardenas  and  elsewhere,  the  reconnoissances  under  fire,  the 
eagerness  manifested  by  every 'one  of  our  fighting  souls — all  these,  physical, 
intellectual  and  spiritual,  make  the  sinking  of  the  "  Merrimac  "  part  of  a 
great  drama  which  lifts  up  the  heart  and  head  of  every  American  citizen. 

For,  believe  as  we  may  have  done  concerning  the  wisdom  of  the  war, 
this  eager  courage  to  carry  the  flag  into  the  heart  of  an  enemy's  country,  to 
plant  it  above  his  sinking  ships  and  his  crumbling  forts, 

this  rush  after  the  colors  to  the  very  death,  this  reckless-    .  Iny 

'  .        .  Races  Into  One. 

ness  of  life,  this  wonderful  enthusiasm  and  joy  in  battle, 
are  the  phenomena  of  a  deep  and  abiding  patriotism,  of  a  love  of  country 
as  strong  and  as  hot  as  that  which  ever  possessed  any  people  in  this  nineteen- 
century-old  world.  We  will  go  further  than  this,  for  our  belief  is  that  this 
love  of  country  is  more  generally  felt,  more  widely  distributed,  here  than  in 
any  other  land  in  the  modern  world.  The  American  citizen,  whether  he  be 
born  of  English  forebears  or  not,  whether  he  be  born  here  or  elsewhere,  is 
defending  his  own  political  power,  is  vindicating  his  own  right  to  exercise 
political  power,  when  he  arms  himself  for  the  defence  of  his  government. 
This  heterogeneous  race  of  what  our  delightful  and  courteous  foes  call 
"  Yankee  pigs  "  is  not  so  heterogeneous  when  the  real  meaning  and  char- 
acter of  the  republic  are  considered.  We  may  not  be  men  of  one  blood,  but 


320  AMERICAN   PATRIOTISM   IN   WAR. 

we  are  men  of  one  mind.  We  may  have  been  born  under  despotisms  or 
constitutional  monarchies  or  pretended  republics,  but  we  live  in  a  true 
republic,  we  possess  a  democracy,  and  it  is  as  certain  as  that  men  will  con- 
tinue to  be  governed,  that  our  democracy  will  remain  regnant,  because  both 
those  who  are  the  offspring  of  the  men  who  established  it  on  the  basis  of 
the  English  democracy,  and  those  who  have  come  under  its  benignant 
power,  who  grow  in  grace  by  means  of  its  kindly  developing  force,  will 
always  insist  on  its  maintenance. 

These  people  of  different  origins  have  a  common  purpose  and  a  common 

destiny,  and  each  man  thinking  himself  worthy  of  the  company  of  kings  is 

not  only  more  self-respectful  and  more  self-confident  than 

A  Patriotism       subject  people,  even  when  these  have  the  most  glorious 

Sufficient  For  Any 

Emergency  traditions  for  the  nourishment  of  tneir  national  pride,  but 
necessarily  has  also  more  respect  and  love  for  the  govern- 
ment of  which  he  is  part,  which  has  been  so  rich  in  performance  for  him, 
and  is  so  rich  in  promise  for  his  descendants.  This  nation  does  not  receive 
its  character  from  the  parents  of  its  citizens,  but  from  the  institutions  which 
have  filled  the  world  with  the  glory  of  English-speaking  peoples;  which 
have  brought  liberty  into  the  cottage,  and  have  applied  the  limitations  and 
restraints  of  the  golden  rule  to  the  palace ;  which  have  put  the  people's 
happiness  above  the  prince's  profit;  which  have  established  a  common 
justice  for  the  ruler  and  the  ruled  ;  and  which  have  prospered  humanity  by 
unshackling  the  genius  of  the  individual.  These  institutions  and  the 
aspirations  that  are  born  of  them  make  America  and  Americans ;  and  when 
the  government,  which  is  the  creature  and  defender  of  these  institutions, 
demands  the  service  of  its  people,  it  addresses  the  patriotism  of  men  who 
love  it  as  they  love  themselves  and  their  families.  The  old  world  never 
made  a  greater  mistake  than  in  supposing  that  the  republic  does  not  have 
the  love  of  its  own  rulers  because  the  grandfathers  of  many  of  the  rulers 
were  not  born  here.  Its  cynics  and  its  false  prophets  are  learning  the  truth 
now — learning  that  the  patriotism  of  America  is  such  that,  when  the  direful 
occasion  conies,  the  citizen  becomes  an  energetic,  courageous  and  intelligent 
soldier,  the  like  of  whose  associated  qualities  cannot  be  found  in  European 
armies.  This  is  the  great  truth  shown  by  the  war,  a  revelation  which  may 
work  wonders  in  a  world  ready  for  almost  any  teaching  of  democracy.  And 
all  who  love  America  for  the  virtues  which  are  hers,  and  for  the  virtues 
which  she  breeds,  will  never  wish  her  less  of  patriotism  in  war,  but  always 
more  of  the  patriotism  resting  on  the  broad  foundations  of  her  peaceful  and 
habitual  achievements. 


SONG  OF  THE   13-INCH.  32: 

SONG  OF  THE  13-INCH. 

BY  J.  H.  BATES,  JR. 

I    COME  of  a  fighting  race. 
You  should  see  my  family-tree, 
With  never  a  break  when  you  come  to  trace 

From  "  Mons  Meg  "  down  to  me — 
From  old  "Mons  Meg"  with  his  hoop-bound  side, 

That  shook  to  his  bombarde  song, 
When  he  said  to  the  foemen  at  Norham,  "  Bide — 
To  me,  with  my  well-wrought,  toughened  hide, 
And  my  belly  lean  and  long." 

I  grin  with  the  grin  of  death 

That  spins  from  my  iron  lips — 
Bluff  joy,  with  a  roar  of  my  pregnant  breath, 

To  bite  at  the  steel-clad  ships — 
To  bite  at  the  ships  in  the  lust  of  blood, 

As  I  whip  them  over  the  sea, 
And  fence  them  in  with  the  spouting  scud, 
And  scatter  them  over  the  littered  flood, 

Till  they  dip  their  rags  to  me. 

I  hunger — ere  yet  I  teach — 

Feed  me  not  of  the  loam — 
I  feed  to  the  snap  of  the  locking  breech 

That  slides  the  greased  shell  home. 
That  slides  it  home — then,  in  mad  desire, 

I  speed  it  far  and  true, 

While  my  mouth  is  ringed  with  the  dripping  fire, 
And  the  crumbling  cities  feel  my  ire, 

As  I  search  them  through  and  through. 

% 

I  come  of  a  fighting  stock. 

On  the  word  of  my  father  Thor ! 
'Tis  well  for  my  friends — but  the  foes  that  mock, 

I  whelm  in  the  throes  of  war — 
I  whelm  in  the  throes  of  war,  and  they  fall, 

Fleets  and  cities  and  men. 

21 


32  SOME  THRILLING  DREAMS 

Yet  my  time  may  come — let  it  be  a  call, 
To  the  wildest,  wickedest  fight  of  all, 
Far  out,  beyond  all  ken  1 

Shivered,  crippled  and  spent,          » 

Twain  on  a  hopeless  sea, 
Dying,  each  firm  in  a  fell  intent, 

Grim,  set  on  victory — 
Grim,  set,  to  the  end.     In  the  waning  light 

As  the  last,  last  daylight  dies, 
The  flare  of  the  holocaust's  awful  blight, 
Or  the  cold,  gray  water's  gulping  night, 

And — the  clean-swept  billow's  rise. 

I  come  of  a  fighting  race. 

You  should  see  my  family-tree, 
With  never  a  break  when  you  come  to  trace 

From  "  Mons  Meg  "  down  to  me — 
From  old  "  Mons  Meg  "  with  his  hoop-bound  side, 

That  shook  to  his  bombarde  song, 
When  he  said  to  the  foemen  at  Norham,  "  Bide — 
To  me,  with  my  well-wrought,  toughened  hide, 

And  my  belly  lean  and  long." 


SOME  THRILLING  DREAMS. 

Sleep  Visions  of  Soldiers  Anticipating  a  Fight. 
BY  FREDERICK  REMINGTON. 

AP  the  place  far  from  Washington  where  the   gray,  stripped  warships 
swung  on  the  tide,  and  toward  which  the  troop-trains  were  hurrying, 
there  was  no  thought  of  peace.  The  shore  was  a  dusty,  smelly  bit  of 
sandy  coral,  and  the  houses  in  this  town  are  built  like  snare-drums  ; 
they  are  dismal  thoroughly,  and  the  sun  makes  men  sweat  and  wish  to  God 
they  were  somewhere  else. 

But  the  men  in  the  blue  uniforms  were  young,  and  Madame  Beaulieu, 
who  keeps  the  restaurant,  strives  to  please,  so  it  came  to  pass  that  I  attended 


SOME  THRIVING   DREAMS.  323 

one  of  these  happy-go-lucky  banquets.  The  others  were  artillery  officers, 
men  from  off  the  ships,  with  a  little  sprinkle  of  cavalry  and  infantry,  just 
for  salt.  They  were  brothers,  and  yellow-jack — hellish  heat — bullets,  and 
the  possibility  of  getting  mixed  up  in  a  mass  of  exploding  iron,  had  been 
discounted  long  back  in  their  schoolboy  days,  perhaps.  Yet,  they  were  not 
without  sentiment,  and  were  not  even  callous  to  all  these,  as  will  be  seen, 
though  men  are  different  aiid  do  not  think  alike — less,  even,  when  they 
dream. 

"  Do  you  know,  I  had  a  dream  last  night,"  said  a  naval  officer. 

"  So  did  I." 

"  So  did  I,  "  was  chorused  by  the  others. 

"  Well,  well !  "  I  said.     "  Tell  your  dreams.     Mr.  H ,  begin." 

"  Oh,  it  was  nothing  much.  I  dreamed  that  I  was  rich  and  old,  and  had 
a  soft  stomach,  and  I  very  much  did  not  want  to  die.  It  was  a  curious  sort 
of  feeling,  this  very  old  and  rich  business,  since  I  am  neither,  nor  even  now 
do  I  want  to  die,  which  part  was  true  in  my  dream. 

"  I  thought  I  was  standing  on  the  bluffs  overlooking  the  Nile.     I  saw 
people   skating,    when  suddenly   numbers   of    hippopotami— great  masses 
of  them — broke  up  through  the  ice  and  began  swallowing 
the  people.      This  was  awfully  real  to  me.     I  even  saw      Swal|owed  by 
Mac  there  go  down  one  big  throat  as  easily  as  a  cocktail. 
Then  they  came  at  me  in  a  solid  wall.     I  was  crazed  with,  ^gar — I  fled.     I 
could  not  run ;  but  coming  suddenly  on  a  pile  of  old  railroad  iron,  I  quickly 
made  a  bicycle  out  of  two  car-wheels,  and  flew.     A  young  hippo,  more  agile 
than  the  rest,  made  himself  a  bike  also,  and  we  scorched  on  over  the  desert. 
My  strength  failed ;  I  despaired  and  screamed — then  I  woke  Up.     Begad, 
this  waiting  and  waiting  in  this  fleet  is  surely  doing  things  to  me  ? " 

The  audience  laughed,  guyed,  and  said  let's  have  some  more  dreams, 
and  other  things.  This  dream  followed  the  other  things,  and  he  who  told 
it  was  an  artilleryman  : 

"  My  instincts  got  tangled  up  with  one  of  those  Key  West  shrimp  sal- 
ads,  I  reckon  ;  but  war  has  no  terrors  for  a  man  who  has  been  through  rny 
last  midnight  battle.  I  dreamed  I  was  superintending  two  big  1 2-inch  guns 
which  was  firing  on  an  enemy's  fleet.  I  do  not  know  where  this  was.  We 
got  out  of  shot,  but  we  seemed  to  have  plenty  of  powder.  The  fleet  kept 
coming  on,  and  I  had  to  do  something,  so  I  put  an  old  superannuated  ser- 
geant in  the  gun.  He  pleaded,  but  I  said  he  was  old,  the  case  was  urgent, 
it  did  not  matter  how  one  died  for  his  country,  etc. — so  we  put  the  dear  old 
sergeant  in  the  gun  and  fired  him  at  the  fleet.  Then  the  battle  became  hot. 
I  loaded  soldiers  in  the  guns  and  fired  them  out  to  sea,  until  I  had  no  more 


-4  SOME  THRILLING  DREAMS. 

soldiers.  Then  I  began  firing  citizens.  I  ran  out  of  citizens.  But  there 
were  Congressmen  around  somewhere  there  in  my  dreams,  and  though  they 
made  speeches  of  protest  to  me  under  the  five-minute  rule,  I  promptly 
loaded  them  in,  and  touched  them  off  in  their  turn.  The  fleet  was  pretty 
hard-looking  by  this  time,  but  still  in  the  ring.  I  could  see  the  foreign  sail- 
ors picking  pieces  of  Congressmen  from  around  the  breech-blocks,  and  the 
officers  were  brushing  their  clothes  with  their  handkerchiefs.  I  was  about 
to  give  up,  when  I  thought  of  the  Key  West  shrimp  salad.  One  walked 
conveniently  up  to  me,  and  I  loaded  her  in.  With  a  last  convulsive  yank 
I  pulled  the  lock-string,  and  the  fleet  was  gone  with  my  dream." 

"  How  do  cavalrymen  dream,  Mr. ?"  was  asked  of  a  yellow-leg. 

"  Oh,  our  dreams  are  all  strictly  professional,  too.  I  was  out  with  my 
troop,  being  drilled  by  a  big  fat  officer  on  an  enormous  horse.  He  was  very 
red-faced,  and  crazy  with  rage  at  us.  He  yelled  like  one  of  those  siren- 
whistles  out  there  in  the  fleet. 

"  He  said  we  were  cowards  and  would  not  fight.     So  he  had  a  stout 

picket-fence  made,  about  six  feet  high,  and  then,  forming  us  in  line,  he  said 

no  cavalry  was  any  good  which  could  be  stopped  by  any 

J^'o  ^IT:"*1       obstacle.     Mind  you,  he  yelled  it  at  us  like  the  siren.     He 
With  Red  Wings. 

said  the  Spaniards  would  not  pay  any  attention  to  such 
cowards.  Then  he  gave  the  order  to  charge,  and  we  flew  into  the  fence.  We 
rode  at  the  fence  pell-mell — into  it  dashed  our  horses,  while  we  sabred  and 
shouted.  Behind  us  now  came  the  big  colonel — very  big  he  was  now,  with 
great  red  wings — saying,  above  all  the  din,  '  You  shall  never  come  back — 
you  shall  never  come  back  ! '  and  I  was  squeezed  tighter  and  tighter  by  him 
up  to  this  fence  until  I  awoke ;  and  now  I  have  changed  my  cocktail  to  a 
plain  vermouth." 

When  appealed  to,  the  infantry  officer  tapped  the  table  with  his  knife 
thoughtfully  :  "  My  dream  was  not  so  tragic  ;  it  was  a  moral  strain  ;  but  I 
suffered  greatly  .while  it  lasted.  Somehow  I  was  in  command  of  a  company 
of  raw  recruits,  and  was  in  some  trenches  which  we  were  constructing  under 
fire.  My  recruits  were  not  like  soldiers — they  were  not  young  men.  They 
were  past  middle  age,  mostly  fat,  and  many  had  white  side  whiskers  after  the 
fashion  of  the  funny  papers  when  they  draw  banker  types.  I  had  a  man 
shot,  and  the  recruits  all  got  around  me  ;  they  were  pleading  and  crying  to  be 
allowed  to  go  home. 

"  Now  I  never  had  anything  in  the  world  but  m>^  pay,  and  am  pretty 
well  satisfied  as  men  go  in  the  world,  but  I  suppose  the  American  does  not 
breathe  who  is  averse  to  possessing  great  wealth  himself ;  so  when  one  man 


SOME  THRIVING  DREAMS.*  325 

said  he  would  give  me  $1,000,000  in  gold  if  I  would  let  him  go,  I  stopped 
to  think.  Here  is  where  I  suffered  so  keenly.  I  wanted  the  million,  but  I 
did  not  want  to  let  him  go. 

"  Then  these  men  came  up,  one  after  the  other,  and  offered  me  varying 
sums  of  money  to  be  allowed  to  run  away — and  specious  arguments  in  favor 

of  the  same.  I  was  now  in  agony.  it !  that  company  was  worth 

nearly  a  hundred  million  dollars  to  me  if  I  would  let  them  take  themselves 
off.  I  held  out,  but  the  strain  was  horrible.  Then  they  began  to  offer  me 
their  daughters — they  each  had  photographs  of  the  most  beautiful  American 
girls — dozens  and  dozens  of  American  girls,  each  one  of  which  was  a  '  peach.' 
Say,  fellows,  I  could  stand  the  millions.  I  never  did  '  gig  '  on  the  .money, 
but  I  took  the  photographs,  said  '  Give  me  your  girls,  and  pull  your  freight!' 
and  my  company  disappeared  instantly.  Do  you  blame  a  man  stationed  in 
Key  West  for  it — do  you,  fellows?  " 

"  Not  by  a  dinged  sight !  "  sang  the  company,  on  its  feet. 

"  Well,  you  old  marine,  what  did  you  dream  ?  " 

"  My  digestion  is  so  good  that  my  dreams  have  no  red  fire  in  them.  I 
seldom  do  dream ;  but  last  night,  it  seems  to  me,  I  recall  having  a  wee  bit  of 
a  dream.  I  don't  know  that  I  can  describe  it,  but  I  was  looking  very 
intently  at  a  wet  spot  on  the  breast  of  a  blue  uniform  coat.  I  thought  they 
were  tears — woman's  tears.  I  don't  know  whether  it  was  a  dream  or  whether 
I  really  did  see  it" 

"  Oh,  confound  your  dreams  !  "  said  the  doctor.  "  What  is  that  bloody 
old  Congress  doing  from  last  reports  ?  " 


326  A  FRIGHTFUL  EXPERIENCE. 


The  Awful  Sensations  of  a  Naval  Encounter  Graphically  Described. 
BY  A  FORMER  NAVAL  OFFICER. 

THE  feelings  of  the  men  and  the  scenes  in  the  hour  of  battle  on  a 
modern  warship  present  a  large  field  to  the  imaginative.     As  the 
enemy  is  perceived  on  the  horizon  the  ship  is  cleared  for  action  ; 
boats  and  everything  wooden  that  might  cause  the  terrible  splinters 
are  cast  overboard,  and  the  men  are  summoned  to  quarters.     The  gigantic 
monster  of  steel  throbs  like  a  living  heart  as  ponderous  engines  drive  her 
through  the  foam-capped  waves.     The  swash  of  waters  as  the  leviathan 
plunges  onward  with  a  fearful  energy,  the  sharp  commands  of  the  officers, 
the  rush  of  men  to  their  positions,  stand  out  in  memory  forever  afterward. 
All  eyes  are  on  the  little  speck  in  the  distant  horizon,  each  moment 
growing  larger  and  larger,  whose  outline,  barely  traced  at  first,  finally  looms 
up  grim  and  foreboding.     Silently  she  approaches,  plowing  straight  ahead, 
as  if  no  opponent  barred  her  path.     Three  miles  separate  them  now.     The 
silence  grows  oppressive  ;  the  strain  is  fearful;  great  beads  of  sweat  stand 
out  on  the  foreheads  of  the  men  in  the  turrets,  immovable  as  statues  beside 
the   gigantic   guns.      Silently,     speedily  and    majestically    the  antagonists 
approach  each  other.     But  two  miles  separate  them  now. 

Hark  !  A  terrific  roar  resounds  over  the  billowy  waves  ;  the  approaching 
ship  is  blotted  out  in  an  instant  by  a  cloud  of  smoke.     We  breathe  freer  ; 
the  strain  is  over  now  ;  the  battle  has  begun.    Like  pieces 


Bje  Qg  of  machinery  the  men  in  the  two  broadside  turrets  move 

to  their  respective  duties.  A  fearful  shock  shakes  the 
gigantic  ship  from  stem  to  stern  ;  a  roar  that  deafens  bursts  forth  ;  a  cloud  of 
stifling  powder  permeates  the  decks  ;  a  great  sigh  of  relief  goes  up  from 
every  man  ;  we  are  answering  shot  with  shot  now.  The  blood  rushes  fever- 
ishly through  the  veins  ;  which  fill  up  as  if  to  burst  ,  the  eye  shines  clear  and 
fierce,  and  a  strange  ecstasy  steals  over  every  man.  The  swash  of  the  waters, 
the  sharp  words  of  command,  the  torrid  breathing  of  the  engines  suddenly 
breaks  forth  again  —  only  in  a  flash  to  be  drowned  by  constant  roar.  The 
smaller  guns  have  opened  ;  we  have  approached  within  a  mile  ;  the  sharp 
crack  of  the  rifles  of  the  sharpshooters  is  not  perceptible  in  the  general  din, 
but  we  feel,  with  a  strange  confidence  in  ourselves,  that  they  are  there. 


A  FRIGHTFUL  EXPERIENCE.  327 

Mechanically  each  man  works  on  at  his  post.  A  shock,  slight  but 
perceptible,  runs  through  the  ship.  We  have  been  struck,  a  great  shot  has 
plowed  its  way  through  the  vessel.  Bleeding  men  are  hurried  to  the 
hospital ;  the  dead  are  cast  aside  to  make  room  for  the  living.  A  shell 
strikes  the  armor  and  explodes,  doing  little  damage ;  another  follows  and 
enters  the  ship ;  men  fall  with  a  startled  cry,  then  lie  silent ;  others  writhe 
in  terrible  agony.  The  men  at  the  light,  unprotected  guns  are  ordered  to 
desert  them  ;  the  men  behind  the  armor  are  safe  enough  as  yet — bruised  and 
blackened,  but  safe.  All  the  unprotected  armor  of  the  ship  has  been  blown 
to  pieces  now  ;  the  wreckage  of  the  top-hammer  is  slowly  blocking  the  guns  ; 
fire  begins  to  break  out  here  and  there ;  the  water  is  pouring  in  through 
large  rents  in  the  hull. 

Deep  down  in  the  ship  are  the  heroes  who  only  know  that  the  battle  is 
raging  by  the  roar  of  the  guns.  Suddenly  the  electric  lights  go  out ;  a  shot 
has  disabled  the  dynamo,  and  ill-smelling  oil  lamps  alone  pierce  the  fearful 
darkness.  It  becomes  suffocating  and  the  men  gasp  for  air ;  inferno  can  be 
no  worse.  They  know  the  funnels  have  been  shot  away,  but  the  torrid,  fetid 
atmosphere  must  be  endured  the  best  it  can.  Even  in  the  heat  of  battle  we 
notice  now  a  slacking  in  the  speed  of  our  vessel,  A  feeling  of  anxiety 
seizes  us,  and  the  begrimed  features  about  us  seem  to  increase  the  uncertainly. 
How  long  have  we  been  fighting  ?  Only  an  hour. 

The  devastation  grows  more  appalling ;  we  are  not  answering  the  enemy 
gun  for  gun  now.     The  ammunition  supply  is  growing  dangerously  small. 
What,  a  great  monster  like  this  only  able  to  carry  ammu- 
nition for  two  hours  of  battle  ?     Question  treads  on  ques- 

*  Battle  Smoke. 

tion  in  the  mind  ;  doubt  piles  on  doubt.     How  long  have 

we  been  fighting  now  ?  Only  thirty  minutes  longer.  Why,  we  are  scarce 
moving  now.  This  is  fearful ;  we  feel  that  it  cannot  last  much  longer ; 
we  begin  to  wish  it  was  all  over ;  only  discipline  keeps  -"us  in  our  places. 
Why  don't  we  do  something — anything  to  end  this  terrible  suspense  ? 

The  smoke  begins  to  clear  away.  Ah,  there  she  is,  that  terrible  instru- 
ment of4  destruction.  She  is  going  to  ram  us,  sink  us  as  we  lie  helpless  in 
the  trough  of  the  sea !  How  big  she  is,  how  grim  and  forbidding.  Are  we 
to  stay  here  and  drown  like  rats  in  a  trap  ?  "  Steady,  men,  steady,"  rever- 
berates through  the  ship ;  the  word  of  command  alone  holds  those  trained 
to  obey.  Strange,  almost  nude,  begrimed,  hardly  human  figures  rush  out 
of  the  ship's  depths,  take  a  frightened  glance  at  the  giant  now  scarce  two 
hundred  yards  away,  then  leap  into  the  waves  in  a  vain  endeavor  to  save 
themselves. 


328  THE   EAGLE'S  SONG. 

Why  do  I  stay  here?  Only  discipline  keeps  me  here,  a  discipline  that 
cannot  last  a  minute  longer ;  the  minute  that  means  my  life.  No,  I  will  go 
down  with  the  ship ;  a  sailor's  grave  will  be  mine.  I  would  rather  die  like 
a  hero  than  a  coward.  There  she  is  now.  Why  doesn't  she  strike  us  ?  She 
can't  miss  us  now. 

What  was  that?  Are  we  sinking?  A  great  shock  runs  through  the 
ship ;  she  is  lifted  on  top  of  a  wave,  and,  tossing  wildly,  goes  down,  down, 
down.  Why  don't  we  sink?  The  air  clears. 

Is  this  death?  Am  I  drowning?  Is  it  a  dream?  Where  is  that  grim, 
foreboding  spectre?  I  can't  see  her.  Gigantic  and  all  powerful,  she  has 
disappeared  entirely ;  there  only  remains  a  handful  of  men  struggling  for 
life  on  the  waves. 

What's  that  you  say  ?  Torpedo  ?  A  deep-drawn  sigh  of  relief  ;  a  feel- 
ing that  life  is  indeed  dear  creeps  over  you.  Numbed  you  hear  the  jubilant 
voice  of  the  junior  officer.  "The  old  man  was  just  laying  for  her;  he's  a 
sly  old  sea-dog." 

And  somehow  you  vaguely  feel  that  a  great  naval  battle  has  been  fought 
and  won. 


THE  EAGLE'S  SONG, 

BY  RICHARD  MANSFIELD. 

Lioness  whelped  and  the  sturdy  cub 
Was  seized  by  an  eagle  and  carried  up 
And  homed  for  a  while  in  an  eagle's  nest, 
And  slept  for  a  while  on  an  eagle's  breast, 
And  the  eagle  taught  it  the  eagle's  song: 
u  To  be  staunch  and  valiant  and  free  and  strong ! " 

The  Lion  whelp  sprang  from  the  eerie  nest, 
From  the  lofty  crag  where  the  Queen  birds  rest ; 
He  fought  the  King  on  the  spreading  plain, 
And  drove  him  back  o'er  the  foaming  main. 
He  held  the  land  as  a  thrifty  chief, 
And  reared  his  cattle  and  reaped  his  sheaf. 
Nor  sought  the  help  of  a  foreign  hand, 
Yet  welcomed  all  to  his  own  free  land  ! 


THE  EAGLE'S  SONC. 

Two  were  the  sons  that  the  country  bore 
To  the  Northern  lakes  and  the  Southern  shore, 
And  Chivalry  dwelt  with  the  Southern  son, 
And  Industry  lived  with  the  Northern  one. 

Tears  for  the  time  when  they  broke  and  fought ! 
Tears  was  the  price  of  the  Union  wrought! 
And  the  land  was  red  in  a  sea  of  blood, 
Where  brother  for  brother  had  swelled  the  flood  ! 

And  now  that  the  two  are  one  again, 

Behold  on  their  shield  the  word — Refrain ! 

And  the  lion  cub's  twain  sing  the  eagle's  song : 

"  To  be  staunch  and  valiant  and  free  and  strong !  " 

For  the  eagle's  beak  and  the  lion's  paw, 

And  the  lion's  fangs  and  the  eagle's  claw, 

And  the  eagle's  swoop  and  the  lion's  might, 

And  the  lion's  leap  and  the  eagle's  sight 

Shall  guard  the  Flag  with  the  word  "  Refrain  " 

Now  that  the  two  are  one  again  ! 

Here's  to  a  cheer  for  the  Yankee  ships  ! 

And  "Well  done,  Sam!"  from  the  mother's  lips! 


330  THE  PEACE  TREATY. 


THE  PEACE  TREATY, 


Full  Text  of  the  Agreement  which  Concluded  Our  War  with  Spain. 

THE  Spanish-American  war  was  practically  terminated  by  the  surrender 
of  General  Toral's  forces  at  Santiago  de  Cuba  on  June  17  (1898), 
but  the   terms  of  final  adjustment  of  all   disputes   were  referred 
to  commissioners,  appointed   by.  the  respective  governments  of    the 
United  States  and  Spain,  which  held  their  sessions  in   Paris,  where  their 
labors  were  completed  on  December  10;  and  on  the  fourth  day  of  January 
following  the  peace  treaty,   as  agreed  upon,   was  submitted  to   President 
McKinley  and  by  him  referred  immediately  to  the  Senate  for  action,  and  rati- 
fied by  that  body  on  February  6. 

The  full  text  of  this  important  instrument  is  as  follows : 

The  United  States  of  America  and  Her  Majesty  the  Queen  Regent  of  Spain,  in  the  name 
of  her  august  son,  Don  Alfonso  XIII.,  desiring  to  end  the  state  of  war  now  existing  between  the 
two  countries,  have  for  that  purpose  appointed  as  plenipotentiaries: 

The  President  of  the  United  States- 
William  R.  Day,  Cushinan  K.  Davis,  William    P.  Frye,  George  Gray,  and  Whitelaw  Reid, 
citizens  of  the  United  States; 

And  Her  Majesty  the  Queen  Regent  of  Spain — 

Don  Eugenio  Montero  Rios,  President  of  the  Senate;  Don  Buenaventura  de  Abarzuza, 
Senator  of  the  Kingdom  and  ex-Minister  of  the  Crown;  Don  Jose  de  Garnica,  Deputy  to  the 
Cortes  and  Associate  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court;  Don  Wenceslad  Ramirez  de  Villa  Urrutia, 
Envoy  Extraordinary  and  Minister  Plenipotentiary  at  Brussels,  and  Don  Rafael  Cerero,  General 
of  Division. 

Who,  having  assembled  in  Paris  and  having  exchanged  their  full  powers,  which  were  found 
to  be  in  due  and  proper  form,  have,  after  discussion  of  the  matters  before  them,  agreed  upon 
the  following  articles : 

ARTICLE  I.  Spain  relinquishes  all  claim  of  sovereignty  over  and  title  to  Cuba. 

And  as  the  island  is,  upon  its  evacuation  by  Spain,  to  be  occupied  by 

Relinquishment     the  United  States,  the  United  States  will,  so  long  as  such   occupation 
of  Cuba.  shall  last,  assume,  and  discharge  the  obligations  that  may,  under  inter- 

national law,  result  from  the  fact  of  its  occupation  for  the  protection 
of  life  and  property. 

ARTICLE  II.  Spain  cedes  to  the  United  States  the  island  of  Porto  Rico  and  other  islands 
now  under  Spanish  sovereignty  in  the  West  Indies,  and  the  island  of  Guam  in  the  Marianas  or 
I/adrones. 

ARTICLE  III.  Spain  cedes  to  the  United  States  the  archipelago  known  as  the  Philippine 
Islands  and  comprehending  the  islands  lying  within  the  following  line  : 

A  line  running  from  west  to  east  along  or  near  the  twentieth  parallel  of  north  latitude  and 
through  the  middle  of  the  navigable  channel  of  Bachi,  from  the  one  hundred  and  eighteenth 


THE   PEACE  TREATY.  331 

(uSth)  to  the  one  hundred  and  twenty-seventh  (i27th)  degree  meridian  of  longitude  east  of 
Greenwich;  thence  along  the  one  hundred  and  twenty-seventh  (i27th)  degree  of  longitude  east 
of  Greenwich,  to  the  parallel  of  four  degrees  and  forty-five  minutes  (4°457)  north  latitude  to  its 
intersection  with  the  meridian  of  longitude  one  hundred  and  nineteen  degrees  and  thirty-five 
minutes  (ug^s')  east  of  Greenwich;  thence  along  the  meridian  of  longitude  one  hundred  and 
nineteen  degrees  and  thirty-five  minutes  (ii9°35/)  east  of  Greenwich  to  the  parallel  of  latitude 
seven  degrees  and  forty  minutes  (7°4O/)  north;  thence  along  the  parallel  of  latitude  seven  degrees 
and  forty  minutes  (7°4o/)  north  to  its  intersection  with  the  one  hundred  and  sixteenth  (u6th) 
degree  meridian  of  longitude  east  of  Greenwich;  thence  by  a  direct  line  to  the  intersection 
of  the  tenth  (loth)  degree  parallel  of  north  latitude  with  the  one  hundred  and  eighteenth 
(iiSth)  degree  meridian  of  longitude  east  of  Greenwich,  and  thence  along  the  one  hundred 
and  eighteenth  (n8th)  degree  meridian  of  longitude  east  of  Greenwich  to  the  point  of 
beginning. 

The  United  States  will  pay  to  Spain  the  sum  of  twenty  million  dollars  ($20,000,000)  within 
three  months  after  the  exchange  of  the  ratifications  of  the  present  treaty. 

ARTICLE  IV.  The  United  States  will,  for  the  term  of  ten  years  from 

the  date  of  exchange  of  ratifications  of  the  present  treaty,  admit  Spanish  A  Payment  of 
ships  and  merchandise  to  the  ports  of  the  Philippine  Islands  on  the  same  $20,000,000. 
terms  as  ships  and  merchandise  of  the  United  States. 

ARTICLE  V.  The  United  States  will,  upon  the  signature  of  the  present  treaty,  send  back  to 
Spain,  at  its  own  cost,  the  Spanish  soldiers  taken  as  prisoners  of  war  on  the  capture  of  Manila 
by  the  American  forces.  The  arms  of  the  soldiers  in  question  shall  be  restored  to  them. 

Spain  will,  upon  the  exchange  of  the  ratifications  of  the  present  treaty,  proceed  to  evacuate 
the  Philippines,  as  well  as  the  Island  of  Guam,  on  terms  similar  to  those  agreed  upon  by  the 
commissioners  appointed  to  arrange  for  the  evacuation  of  Porto  Rico  and  other  islands  in  the 
West  Indies  under  the  Proctocol  of  August  12,  1898,  which  is  to  continue  in  force  till  its  provis- 
ions are  completely  executed. 

The  time  within  which  the  evacuation  of  the  Philippine  Islands  and  Guam  shall  be  com- 
pleted, shall  be  fixed  by  the  two  governments.     Stands  of  colors,  uucaptured  war  vessels,  small 
arms,  guns  of  all  calibres,  with  their  arms  and  accessories,  powder,  ammunition,  live  stock  and 
materials  and  supplies  of  all  kinds  belonging  to  the  land  and  naval  forces  of  Spain  in  the 
Philippines  and  Guam,  remain  the  property  of  Spain.     Pieces  of  heavy 
ordnance,   exclusive   of  field    artillery,  in   the   fortifications   and   coast    What  Spain  May 
defences,  shall  remain  in  their  emplacements  for  the  term  of  six  months,  Retain. 

to  be  reckoned  from  the  exchange  of  the  ratifications  of  the  treaty,  and 

the  United  States  may,  in  the  meantime,  purchase  such  material  from  Spain  if  a  satisfactory 
agreement  between  the  two  governments  on  the  subject  shall  be  reached. 

ARTICLE  VI.  Spain  will,  upon  the  signature  of  the  present  treaty,  release  all  prisoners  of 
war  and  persons  detained  or  imprisoned  for  political  offences  in  connection  with  the  insurrection 
in  Cuba  and  the  Philippines  and  the  war  with  the  United  States. 

Reciprocally,  the  United  States  will  release,  all  prisoners  made  prisoners  of  war  by  the 
American  forces,  and  will  undertake  to  obtain  the  release  of  all  Spanish  prisoners  in  the  hands 
of  the  insurgents  in  Cuba  and  the  Philippines. 

The  Government  of  the  United  States  will,  at  its  own  cost,  return  to  Spain  and  the  Govern- 
ment of  Spain  will,  at  its  own  cost,  return  to  the  United  States,  Cuba,  Porto  Rico  and  the 
Philippines,  according  to  the  situation  of  their  respective  homes,  prisoners  released  or  caused  to 
be  released  by  them,  respectively  under  this  article. 

ARTICLE  VII.  The  United  States  and  Spain  mutually  relinquish  all  claims  for  indemnity, 
national  and  individual,  of  every  kind,  of  either  government,  or  of  its  citizens  or  subjects 
against  the  other  government,  that  may  have  arisen  since  the  beginning  of  the  late  insurrection 
in  Cuba  and  prior  to  the  exchange  of  ratifications  of  the  present  treaty,  including  all  claims  for 
indemnity  for  the  cost  of  the  war. 


332  THE  PEACE  TREATY. 

The  United  States  will  adjudicate  and  settle  the  claims  of  its  citizens  against  Spain 
relinquished  in  this  article. 

ARTICLE  VIII.     In  conformity  with  the  provisions  of  Articles  I,  II  and  III  of  this  treaty, 

Spain  relinquishes  in  Cuba  and  cedes  in  Porto  Rico  and  other  islands  in  the  West  Indies,  in  ihe 

islands  of  Guam  and  in  the  Philippine  archipelago,  all  the  buildings, 

Public  Property      wharves,  barracks,  forts,  structures,  public  highways  and  other  immova- 

Relinquished.  ble  property  which  in  conformity  with  law  belong  to  the  public  domain, 
and  as  such  belong  to  the  crown  of  Spain. 

And  it  is  hereby  declared  that  the  relinquishtnent  or  cession,  as  the  case  may  be,  to  which  the 
preceding  paragraph  refers,  cannot  in  any  respect  impair  the  property  or  rights  which  by  law 
belong  to  the  peaceful  possession  of  property  of  all  kinds,  of  provinces,  municipalities,  public 
or  private  establishments,  ecclesiastical  or  civic  bodies,  or  any  other  associations  having  legal 
capacity  to  acquire  and  possess  property  in  the  aforesaid  territories  renounced  or  ceded,  or 
of  private  individuals  of  whatsoever  nationality  such  individuals  may  be. 

The  aforesaid  relinquishment  or  cession,  as  the  case  may  be,  includes  all  documents 
exclusively  referring  to  the  sovereignty  relinquished  or  ceded  that  may  exist  in  the  archives  in 
the  peninsula.  Where  any  document  in  such  archives  only  in  part  relates  to  said  sovereignty,  a 
copy  of  such  part  will  be  furnished  whenever  it  shall  be  requested.  Like  rules  shall  be  recipro- 
cally observed  in  favor  of  Spain  in  respect  of  documents  in  the  archives  of  the  islands  above 
referred  to. 

In  the  aforesaid  relinquishment  or  cession,  as  the  case  may  be,  are  also  included  such  rights 
as  the  Crown  of  Spain  and  its  authorities  possess  in  respect  of  the  official  archives  and  records, 
executive  as  well  as  judicial,  in  the  islands  above  referred  to,  which  relate  to  said  islands  or  the 
rights  and  property  of  their  inhabitants.  Such  archives  and  records  shall  be  carefully  preserved, 
and  private  persons  shall  without  distinction  have  the  right  to  require,  in  accordance  with  law, 
authenticated  copies  of  the  contracts,  wills  and  other  instruments  forming  part  of  notarial 
protocols  or  files,  or  which  may  be  contained  in  the  executive  or  judicial  archives,  be  the  latter 
in  Spain  or  in  the  islands  aforesaid. 

ARTICLE  IX.  Spanish  subjects,   natives  of  the  peninsular,  residing  in  the  territory  over 

which  Spain  by  the  present  treaty  relinquishes  or  cedes   her  sovereignty,  may  remain  in  such 

territory  or  may  remove  therefrom,  retaining  in  either  event  all  their 

Rights  of  the          rights  of  property,  including  the  right  to  sell  or  dispose  of  such  property 

Island  Inhabitants,    or  of  its  proceeds;  and  they  shall  also   have  the  right  to  carry  on  their 

industry,  commerce  and  professions,  being  subject  in  respect  thereof  to 

such  laws  as  are  applicable  to  other  foreigners. 

In  case  they  remain  in  the  territory,  they  may  preserve  their  allegiance  to  the  Crown  of 
Spain  by  making  before  a  court  of  record,  within  a  year  from  the  date  of  the  exchange  of 
ratification,  of  their  decision  to  preserve  such  allegiance;  in  default  of  which  declaration  they 
shall  be  held  to  have  renounced  it  and  to  have  adopted  the  nationality  of  the  territory  in  which 
they  may  reside. 

The  civil  rights  and  political  status  of  the  native  inhabitants  of  the  territories  hereby 
ceded  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  United  States,  shall  be  determined  by  the  Congress. 

ARTICLE  X.  The  inhabitants  of  the  territories  over  which  Spain  relinquishes  or  cedes  her 
sovereignty,  shall  be  secured  in  the  free  exercise  of  their  religion. 

ARTICLE  XI. — The  Spaniards  residing  in  the  territories  over  which  Spain  by  this  treaty 
cedes  or  relinquishes  her  sovereignty  shall  be  subject  in  matters  civil  as  well  as  criminal  to  the 
jurisdiction  of  the  courts  of  tlie  country  wherein  they  reside,  pursuant  to  the  ordinary  laws 
governing  the  same;  and  they  shall  have  the  right  to  appear  before  such  courts  and  to  pursue 
the  same  course  as  citizens  of  the  country  to  which  the  courts  belong. 

ARTICLE  XI I.  Judicial  proceedings  pending  at  the  time  of  the  exchange  of  ratifications  of 
this  treaty  in  the  territories  over  which  Spain  relinquishes  or  cedes  her  sovereignty,  shall  be 
determined  according  to  the  following  rules: 


THE   PEACE  TREATY.  333 

1.  Judgments  rendered  either  in  civil   suits  between  private  individuals  or  in  criminal 
matters,  before  the  date  mentioned,  and  with  respect   to  which  there  is  no  recourse  of  right  of 
review  under  the  Spanish  law,  shall  be  deemed  to  be  final,   and  shall  be  executed  in  due  form 
by  complete  authority  in  the  territory  within  which  such  judgments  should  be  carried  out. 

2.  Civil  suits  between  private  individuals,  which  may  on  the  date  mentioned  be  undeter- 
mined, shall  be  prosecuted  to  judgment  before  the  court  in  which  they  may  then  be  pending  or 
in  the  court  that  may  be  substituted  therefor. 

3.  Criminal  actions  pending  on  the  date  mentioned  before  the  Supreme  Court  of' Spain 
against  citizens  of  the  territory  which  by  this  treaty  ceases  to  be  Spanish,  shall  continue  under 
its  jurisdiction  until  final  judgment;  but  such   judgment  having  been 

rendered   the  execution  thereof  shall   be   committed   to   the  competent        Reservations 
authority  of  the  place  in  which  the  case  arose.  Respecting  Legal 

ARTICLE  XIII.  The  rights  of  property  secured  by  copyrights  and        Proceedings. 
patents  acquired  by  Spaniards  in  the  island  of  Cuba  and  Porto  Rico,  the 

Philippines  and  other  ceded  territories  at  the  time  of  the  exchange  of  the  ratification  of  this 
treaty,  shall  continue  to  be  respected.  Spanish  scientific,  literary  and  artistic  works,  not  to 
subversive  of  public  order  in  the  territories  in  question,  shall  continue  1*  be  admitted  free  of 
duty  into  such  territories  for  the  period  of  ten  years,  to  be  reckoned  from  the  date  of  the 
exchange  of  the  ratification  of  this  treaty. 

ARTICLE  XIV.  Spain  will  have  the  power  to  establish  consular  offices  in  the  ports  and 
places  of  the  territories,  the  sovereignty  over  which  has  either  been  relinquished  or  ceded  by 
the  present  treaty. 

ARTICLE  XV.  The  government  of  each  country  will,  for  the  term  of  ten  years,  accord  to 
the  merchant  vessels  of  the  other  country  the  same  treatment  in  respect  of  all  port  charges, 
including  entrance  and  clearance  duties,  light  dues  and  tonnage  duties,  as  it  accords  to  its  own 
merchant  vessels  not  engaged  in  the  coastwise  trade. 

This  article  may  at  any  time  be  terminated  on  six  months'  notice,  given  by  either  govern- 
ment to  the  other. 

ARTICLE  XVI.  It  is  understood  that  any  obligations  assumed  in  this  treaty  by  the  United 
States  with  respect  to  C*uba,  are  limited  to  the  time  of  its  occupancy  thereof,  but  it  will,  upon 
the  termination  of  such  occupancy,  advise  any  government  established  in  the  islands  to  assume 
the  same  obligations. 

ARTICLE  XVII.  The  present  treaty  shall  be  ratified  by  the  President  of  the  United  States, 
by  and  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate  thereof,  and  by  her  Majesty  the  Queen 
Regent  of  Spain;  and  the  ratification  shall  be  exchanged  at  Washington  within  six  months 
from  the  date  hereof,  or  earlier  if  possible. 

In  faith  whereof  we,  the  respective  plenipotentiaries,  have  signed  this  treaty  and  have 
hereunto  affixed  our  seals. 

Done  in  duplicate  at  Paris,  the  tenth  day  of  December,  in  the  year  of  our  L/ord,  one 
thousand  eight  hundred  and  ninety-eight. 


334  SOME   INTERESTING   STATISTICS  OF  THE  WAR. 


SOME  INTERESTING  STATISTICS  OF  THE  WAR. 

X 

THE  losses  by  the  "Maine"  explosion,  February  15,  1898,  were  two 
officers  and  264  men.     At  the  great  naval  engagement  in  Manila 
Bay,  May  i,  seven  American  seamen,  all  of  the  "  Baltimore,"  were 
wounded,  none  fatally.     At  the  bombardment  of  Cienfuegos,  May 
n,  we  had  one  killed  and  eleven  wounded.     At  Cardenas,  on  the  same  date, 
five  were  killed  and  three  wounded.     At  the  bombardment  of  San  Juan, 
May  12,  our  casualties  were  one  killed  and  seven  wounded.     In  the  two 
sharp  fights  at  Guantanamo,  June  1 1  and  20,  we  had  six  killed  and  sixteen 
wounded.     When    Santiago   was    bombarded,    June    22, 
only  one  man  was  killed  and  nine  were  wounded.     In  the 

Navy. 

great  naval  fight  before  Santiago,  June  3,  our  losses  were 
one  killed  and  one  wounded.  One  man  on  the  auxiliary  "  Yankee  "  was 
wounded  June  13,  and  a  seaman  of  the  "Eagle"  was  wounded  July  12. 
One  of  the  crew  of  the  "  Bancroft "  lost  his  life  July  2,  and  on  the  "  Amphi- 
trite  "  one  man  was  killed  August  7.  Making  a  total  of  all  losses  in  the 
navy,  during  the  war,  nineteen  killed  and  forty-eight  wounded,  of  which 
latter  number  twenty-nine  died  of  their  injuries.  During  the  time  of  hostili- 
ties the  strength  of  the  navy  and  marine  corps  was  26,102  officers  and  men, 
and  the  total  deaths  from  disease  during  the  114  days  was  fifty-six. 

Nearly  all  our  losses  were  sustained  in  the  Santiago  campaign,  where 
twenty-three  officers  and  237  men  were  killed  and  ninety-nine  officers  and 
1,332  men  were  wounded.  The  casualties  of  the  Porto  Rico  campaign  were 
three  men  killed  and  four  officers  and  thirty-six  men 
wounded-  In  tne  campaign  for  the  reduction  of  Manila 
seventeen  men  were  killed  and  ten  officers  and  ninety-six 
men  were  wounded.  Our  total  losses  from  the  beginning  of  hostilities  until 
the  truce  following  the  signing  of  the  protocol  was  thirty-three  officers  and 
257  men  killed,  113  officers  and  1,464  men  wounded.  The  number  of  deaths 
in  the  army  from  disease  during  the  same  time  was  eighty  officers  and  2,485 
men.  The  total  number  of  officers  and  men  engaged  in  all  branches  of  the 
land  service  was  274,717. 

Nearly  all  the  arms  captured  from  the  Spaniards  were  taken  at  Santiago 
when  General  Jose  Toral  surrendered   to  General  William 
R'  Shafter>  July  '7  =  ^,9°*  Mauser  rifles,  872  Argent  rifles, 
the  War.          6,1 1 8  Remington  rifles,  833  Mauser  carbines,  84  Argent  car- 
bines, 330  Remington  carbines,  75  revolvers,  30  bronze 
rifled  cannon,  10  cast  iron  cannon,  8  steel  cannon,  44  smooth-bore  cannon, 


SOME  INTERESTING  STATISTICS  OF  THE  WAR.  335 

5  mortars.  Of  ammunition  there  was  surrendered  at  the  time  3,551  solid 
shot,  437  shrapnel,  2,577  shells  ;  and  for  small  arms  1,471,200  rounds  Mauser, 
1,500,000  rounds  Argent,  1,680,000  rounds  for  carbines. 

In  the  engagement  in  Manila  Bay,  Dewey  destroyed  the  cruisers  "  Reina 
Cristina,"  "  Castilla,"  "Isla  de  Cuba,"  the  "  Ulloa,"  and  the  "  General  Lozo," 
and  the  gunboats  "Jose  Garcia,"  "  Isla  de  Cuba,"  "  Islade  Luzon,"  "  Duero," 
"Corres,"  "  Velasco,"  "Mindanao,"  "  Callao,"  "  Leyte," 
"  Sandoval,"  and  "  Manila."  A  few  days  later  Dewey  cap- 
tured  the  torpedo  boat  "  Barcelona."  Captures  made  by  Destroyed. 
our  blockading  fleet  in  Cuban  waters  were  the  gunboats 
"Hernandez  Cortez,"  "  Vasco  Nunez,"  "  Alerta,"  "  Pizarro,"  ".Velasquez," 
"  Ardilla,"  "  Flecha,"  "  Tradera,"  "  Satellite,"  "  Marguerite,"  "  Virgin," 
"Ligera,"  "General  Blanco,"  "  Intrepida,"  "  Cauto,"  "Alvarado,"  besides 
many  merchant  vessels.  Of  the  several  Spanish  war  vessels  sunk  in  battles 
with  our  squadrons  the  following  were  raised,  repaired  and  are  now  a  part  of 
the  United  States  Navy  :  "  Isla  de  Luzon,"  "  Isla  de  Cuba,"  and  "  Reina 
Cristina,"  all  cruisers,  and  the  gunboats  "  Sandoval,"  "  Callao,"  and  "Min- 
danao." 

Generals  have  the  same  relative  rank  as  admirals,  but  there  is  now  no 
office  of  these  grades,  though  they  may  soon  be  revived. 
The  office  of  lieutenant-general  and  vice-admiral  has  also    *f!a!lIl.Rarlk  °! 

Chief  Officers   of 

been   abolished.      Major-generals    have  the  same  rank  as  the  Army  and  Navy. 
rear-admirals.  Brigadier-generals  have  the  rank  of  commo- 
dores.    Colonels  rank  with  captains.     Lieutenant-colonels  rank  with  com- 
manders.    Majors  rank  with  lieutenant-commanders.     Captains  rank  with 
naval  lieutenants.     Lieutenants  rank  with  ensigns. 

Relative  rank,  however,  does  not  signify  equality  of  salary,  that  of  army 
officers  being  somewhat  greater  than  the  pay  of  ranking  officers  of  the  navy, 
because  the  latter  are  allowed  prize  money  as  rewards  for  victory,  while  the 
former,  however  valorous  and  triumphant,  receive  no  such  bounty. 

Following  are  major-generals  of  the  regular  and  volunteer  forces, 
January  i,  1899:  Nelson  A.  Miles,  general  commanding,  regular;  Wesley 
Merritt,  major-general,  regular;  John  R.  Brooke,  major-general,  regular; 
William  R.  Shafter,  Joseph  C.  Breckenridge,  El  well  S.  Otis,  John  J.  Graham, 
James  F.  Wade,  John  J.  Coppinger,  William  M.  Graham,  Henry  C.  Merriam, 
promoted  from  the  active  list  of  brigadier-generals  by  nomination  of  the 
President,  May  4,  1*898 ;  and  the  following  civilians  nominated  at  the  same 
time  to  serve  as  major-generals  during  the  war:  Joseph  H.  Wheeler,  from 
Alabama ;  Fitzhugh  Lee,  from  Virginia ;  William  J.  Sewell,  from  New  Jersey ; 
James  H.  Wilson,  from  Delaware.  The  annual  salary  of  major-general  is 


336  SOME   INTERESTING   STATISTICS   OF  THE  WAR. 

$7,500,  which  sum  is  increased  10  per  cent  after  each  period  of  five  years 
of  service  for  twenty  years.  At  retirement  the  pay  is  $5,625.  Brigadier- 
generals  receive  $5,500  ;  colonels,  $3,500. 

George  Dewey  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Admiral,  March  5,  1899, 
which  is  the  highest  office  in  the  navy,  corresponding  to  that  of  general  of  the 
army,  which  does  not  now  exist.  His  salary  is  $13,500  per  annum. 

The  active  list  of  rear-admirals  is  as  follows :  Winfield  S.  Schley,  Wil- 
liam T.  Sampson,  John  A.  Howell,  Frederick  V.  McNair,  H.  L,.  Howison 
and  Albert  Kautz.  9 

The  pay  of  naval  officers  is  as  follows : 

Rear-admirals,  when  at  sea,  receive  $6,000 ;  on  shore,  $5,000 ;  on  leave, 
waiting  orders,  $4,000  per  annum. 

Commodores  receive  $5,000;  onshore,  $4,000;  waiting  orders,  $3,000. 

Captains  receive  $4,500;  on  shore,  $3,500;  waiting  orders,  $2,800. 

Commanders  receive  $3,500;  on  shore,  $3,000;  waiting  orders,  $2,300. 

Although  the  war  with  Spain  lasted  only  one  hundred  and  fourteen 
days,  it  is  estimated  that  the  cost  to  the  government  was  $150,000,000,  of 
which  $98,000,000  was  paid  out  of  the  Treasury,  to  the  time 
*'th  s  "*•  '  of  signing  the  protocol,  August  12.  Beginning  with  March 
i,  when  the  first  increases  in  the  expenditures  in  anticipa- 
tion of  war  became  apparent  in  the  daily  expenditures  of  the  Treasury, 
the  actual  disbursements  on  this  account  were  approximately  as  follows  : 


MARCH. 

Army $600,000 

Navy 2,400,000 

Total $3,000,000 

APRII,. 

Army     $1,200,000 

Navy 9,800,000 

Total $11,000,000 

MAY. 

Army $12,000,000 

Navy 7,000,000 

Total      $19,000,000 


JUNE. 

Army $16,500,000 

Navy 6,500,000 


Total $23,000,000 

JUI.Y. 

Army $29,500,000 

Navy 5,500,000 


Total $35,000,000 

TO  AUGUST  13. 

Army $5,500,000 

Navy 1,500,000 


Total $7,000,000 


Total  charged  to  War  Department $65,300,000 

Total  charged  to  Navy  Department 32,700,000 

Grand  Total $98,000,000 

The  appropriations  made  by  Congress  on  account  of  the  war  aggregated 
about  $360,000,000,  and  covered  the  time  to  January  i,  1899. 


SOME   INTERESTING  STATISTICS  OF  THE   WAR. 


337 


PRINCIPAL  VESSELS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  NAVY. 


Name. 

01 

<& 
U 

Construction 
Begun. 

Displacement. 

Speed  in 
Knots. 

Horse-power. 

i 

u 

Main  Battery. 

Secondary  Battery. 

B.  S. 
B.  S. 
B.  S. 
B.  S. 

B.  S. 
B.  S. 
B.  S. 
B.  S. 
B.  S. 
B.  S. 
B.  S. 
B.  S. 
A.  C. 

A.  C. 

1893 
1891 
1891 
1891 

1896 
1896 
1896 
1896 
1896 
1898 
1898 
1899 
1893 

1890 

1874 

1875 
1889 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1899 
1899 
1899 
1899 
1887 
1883 
1896 
1896 
1892 
1891 
1887 
1891 

11,410 
10,288 
10,288 
10,288 

",525 
11,000 

".525 

11,000 
11,000 

12,500 
12,500 
12,500 
9,271 

8,200 

3,990 
6,060 
4,084 

3,99° 
3,99° 
3,999 
2,700 
2,700 
2,700 
2,700 

4,413 
3,000 
3,500 
3,500 
1,800 
2.600 
3,730 
7,375 

16. 
15.60 
15- 
15- 

16. 
16. 
16. 
16. 
16. 
18. 
18. 
1  8. 

20. 
21. 

12. 
12.5 
13-5 
10-5 
14-5 
12. 
12. 
12. 
12. 
12. 
21. 
15-5 
17-5 

1  7-5 
16. 
16.5 
18. 
23-5 

11,000 
9,738 
9,000 
9,000 

10,000 
10,000 
10,000 
10,000 
10,000 
16,000 
16,000 
16,000 
16,000 

17,401 

i,  600 
3,7oo 
5,244 
1,426 
3,000 
i  ,600 
1,500 
1,500 
1,500 
1,500 
10,000 
4,030 
5,000 
5,000 
3,700 
3.700 
6,660 
20,862 

$3,010,000 
3,020,000 
3,020,000 
3,180,000 

3,150,000 
3,760,000 
3,150,000 
3,750,000 
3,750,000 
3,500,000 
3,500,000 
3,500,000 

2,986,000 

2,985,000 

3,178,000 
3,178,000 
1,628,950 

3,178,000 

3,178,000 

3,178,000 

1,500,000 
1,500,000 
1,500,000 
1,500,000 
1,325,000 
617,000 
1,500,000 
1,500,000 
1,000,000 

1,200,000 

1,017,000 
2,690,000 

4  i2-in. 
8    8-in. 
6    4-in. 

4  13-1"- 
8    8-in. 
4    6-in. 
4  13-in. 
8    8-in. 
4    6-in. 
4  i3-in. 
8    8-in. 
4    6-in. 
4  i3-in. 
4    8-in. 
4  13-in. 
14    6-in. 
4  i3-in. 
4    8-in. 
4  i3-in. 
14    6-in. 
4  13-in. 
14    6-in. 
4  13-in. 
14    6-in. 
4  13-in. 
14    6-in. 
4  i2-in. 
16    6-in. 
8    8-in. 
12    5-in. 
6    8-in. 
12    4-in. 

4  to-in. 
2    4-in. 
4   i2-in. 
2    4-in. 
2  12-in. 
2  lo-in. 
4  lo-in. 

4  lo-in. 
2    4-in. 
4  lo-in. 

4  i2-in. 
4    4-in. 
4    4-in. 

4    4  in. 
4    4-in. 

4    8-in. 
6    6-in. 
6    6-in. 
2    8-in. 
6    6-in. 

6    6-in. 
4    s-in. 
4    6-in. 

2    8-in. 
6    6-in. 
i    8-in. 
2    6-in. 
8    4-in. 

20  6-pdrs.  rapid  fire,  4  i-pd  's.,  4 
Catlings. 

20  6-pdrs.  rapid  fire,  6  i  pdrs.,  4 
Catlings. 

20  6-pdrs.  rapid  fire,  6  i-pdrs.,  4 
Catlings. 

20  6-pdrs.  rapid  fire,  6  i-pdrs.,  4 
Catlings. 

14  s-in.  rapid  fire,   20  6-pdrs.,  6 
i-pdrs.,  4  Catlings,  i  field  gun. 
16  6-pdrs.,  4  i-pdrs.,  4  Catlings, 
i  field  gun, 
14    5-in.,  20  6-pdrs.,  6  i-pdrs.,  4 
Catlings,  i  field  gun. 
16  6-pdrs.,  4   i-pdrs.,  4  Catlings, 
i  field  gun. 
16  6-pdrs.,  4  i-pdrs.,  4  Catlings, 
i  field  gun. 
20  8-pdrs.,  8  magazine  guns. 

20  8-pdrs.,  8  magazine  guns. 
20  6-pdrs.,  8  magazine  guns. 
12  6-pdrs.,  4  i-pdrs.,  4  Catlings. 

8  6-pdrs.,  4  i-pdrs.,  4  Catlings. 

2  6-pdrs.,  2  3-pdrs.,  2  H.  R.  C.,  2 
i-pdrs. 
6  6-pdrs.,  4  Catlings,  2  H.  R.  C. 

6  6-pdrs.,  2  Catlings,  4  i-pdrs. 
2  6-pdrs.,  2  3-pdrs.,  2  i-pdrs. 

2  6-pdrs.,  2  3-  pdrs.,  2  H.  R.  C., 
2  i-pdrs. 
2  6-pdrs.,  2  3-pdrs.,  2  Catlings,  z 
H.  R.  C. 
3  6-pdrs.,  4  i-pdrs. 

5  6-pdrs.,  4  i-pdrs. 
5  6-pdrs.,  4  i-pdrs. 
5  6-pdrs.,  4  i-pdrs. 

4  6-pdrs.,   2  3-pdrs.,   2  6-pdrs.,  ? 
Catlings,  4  H.  R.  C. 
2  6-pdrs.,  4  3-pdrs.,  4  i-pdrs.,  2 
Catlings,  2  H.  R.  C. 
27  4.7  in.,  4  6-pdrs. 

27  4-7-in.  4  6-pdrs. 
10  6-pdrs. 
6  4-in.,  6  3-in. 

4  6-pdrs.,   2  3-pdrs.,  2   i-pdrs.,  4 
H.  R.  C. 
12  6-pdrs.,  4  i-pdrs  ,  4  Catlings. 

Indiana     

Massachusetts  .  . 
Oregon  

*  Kearsarge     .   .   . 
*  Alabama    .... 
*  Kentucky  .... 
*  Illinois   .... 

*  Wisconsin     .  .  . 
*  Ohio    

*  Missouri     .... 
*  Maine  

Brooklyn  

New  York    .... 

DOUBLE-TURRET 
MONITORS. 

Amphitrite  .... 

Puritan  

Monterey  

Miantonomoh  . 

Monadnock    .   . 

Terror    .  . 

Arkansas  

Connecticut    .  .   . 
Florida  

Wyoming  

Baltimore    .... 
Atlanta  

P.  C. 
P.  C. 
P.  C. 
P.  C. 
P.  C. 
P.  C. 
P.  C. 
P.  C. 

Albany  

New  Orleans  .   .  . 
Topeka  

Buffalo  

Charleston  .... 
Minneapolis  .   .   . 

*  Building. 
22 


338  THE  WAR'S  COST  AND   ITS   RESULTS. 

PRINCIPAL  VESSELS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  NAVY.— CONTINUED. 


ld 

1 

a 

a 

jj 

1 

Name. 

i 

IE 

V 

o 
£ 
p. 

II 

I 

I 

H 

B 
o 

Secondary  Battery. 

| 

o 

•3 

CB 

o 

'3 

u 

y 

Q 

H 

S 

Columbia  

P.  C. 

1800 

22.8 

18 

2,725,000 

2    6-in 

12  6-pdrs.,  4  i-pdrs.,  4  Catlings. 

«uyv 

7.375 

' 

8    4-in 

i    8-in 

Chicago     .... 

P.  C. 

1883 

Crto 

_- 

_     -Q. 

889,000 

4    8-in 

Q  6-pdrs,,  4  i-pdrs.,    2   Catlings, 

' 

8    6-in 

I  H.  R.  C. 

2    5-in 

Cincinnati  .... 

P.  C. 

1890 

3.213 

I9. 

10,000 

1,100,000 

10    s-in 

8  6-pdrs.,  2  i-pdrs.,  2  Catlings. 

i    6-in 

Newark    

P.  C. 

1888 

onR 

IO 

8.860 

1,248,000 

1  2    6-in 

4  6-pdrs.,  4  3-pdrs.,    4   Catlings, 

4,°9° 

*  7' 

*T*"Tf 

4  H.  R.  C. 

Olympla  

P.  C. 

1801 

_       O-Q 

21  ^ 

17  111 

1,796,000 

4    8-in 

14  6-pdrs.,  6  i-pdrs.,  4  Catlings. 

•vy* 

o>  / 

10    5-in 

Raleigh     

P.  C. 

1889 

1  211 

IO 

IO  OOO 

1,100,000 

10    5*in 

8  6-pdrs.,  4  i-pdrs.,  2  Catlings. 

i    6-in 

Philadelphia  .  .  . 

p.  c: 

iSSS 

4,324 

19-5 

8,815 

1,350,000 

12    6-iu 

4  6-pdrs.,  4  2-pdrs.,  4  Catlings,  4 

H.  R.  C. 

San  Francisco   .  . 

P.  C. 

1888 

4,098 

19-5 

9.913 

1,428,000 

12    6.in. 

4  6-pdrs  ,  4  3-pdrs.,  2  i-ddrs.,  4 
Catlings,  3  H.  R.  C. 

In  addition  to  the  principal  vessels  above  described,  the  United  States 
Navy  comprises  24  torpedo-boats  building,  and  9  in  service,  and  16  torpedo- 
boat  destroyers  under  construction;  four  cruisers,  the  "Detroit,"  u  Marble- 
head,"  "Montgomery"  and  "Chesapeake;"  15  gunboats,  13  single-turret 
monitors,  i  dynamite  cruiser,  i  ram,  i  second-class  battleship,  the  "Texas," 
and  nearly  one  hundred  special  and  old  naval  vessels,  a  greater  part  of  which, 
however,  are  hardly  serviceable,  except  as  training  ships. 


THE  WAR'S  COST  AND  ITS  RESULTS. 

OUR  casualties  in  the  war  with  Spain  were  astonishingly  small,  and  if 
we  disregard  the  claim  that  Providence  protected   our  armies  in 
their  battles  for  humanity,  the  laws  of  chance  seem  to  have  been 
placed  at  defiance,  and  we  marvel  past  all  understanding. 
When  Dewey  won  his  memorable  victory  on  May  Day,  not  one  of  his 
men  was  killed,  and  only  six  were  wounded  ;  in  the  destruction  of  Cervera's 
fleet  only  one  life  was  lost ;  but  in  the  desperate  charge  of  the  Rough  Riders 
and  Tenth  and  First  Cavalry,  16  were  killed  and  53  wounded  ;  and  in  the 
three  days  of  battle  about  Santiago  no  fewer  than  226  officers  and  men  died 
on  the  field  and  1,274  were  wounded. 

In  all,  according  to  nearly  complete  lists  in  possession  of  the  Army  and 
Navy  Departments  on  August  15,  our  casualties  were: 


THE  WAR'S   COST  AND   ITS   RESUI/TS.  339 

Navy — Killed,  i  officer  and  18  men  (including  Cadet  Boardman, 
accidentally  shot  at  Cape  San  Juan,  August  10) ;  wounded,  3  officers  and 
40  men. 

Army — Killed,  23  officers  and  231  men ;  wounded,  87  officers  and 
1,316  men. 

Total  American  loss,  24  officers  and  249  men  killed ;  90  officers  and 
1,356  men  wounded. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  at  the  battle  of  Gettysburg  alone  the  losses 
on  the  Union  side  were  3,070  killed  and  14,497  wounded,  while  in  the  twelve 
great  battles  of  the  Civil  War  no  fewer  than  23,468  Union  .soldiers  were 
killed  and  120,849  wounded.  Although  complete  reports  may  somewhat 
increase  the  number  of  casualties,  it  may  be  safely  asserted  that  never  were 
results  such  as  those  of  our  war  with  Spain  obtained  with  so  small  a  loss  of 
life.  As  to  the  enemy,  their  losses,  even  on  the  faith  of  their  own  statement, 
were  several  times  (fully  six  times)  greater  than  ours. 

It  is  gratifying  to  know  that  hostilities  terminated  with  the  Treasury  in 
excellent  condition,  and  that  we  could  have  embarked  on  another  war 
without  having  any  fear  of  running  short  of  money  to  meet  expenses. 

The  sale  of  the  war  bonds  was  then  increasing  the  Treasury  balance 
every  day;  the  proceeds  of  the  War  Revenue  law  had  exceeded  the  most 
sanguine  expectations,  and  the  average  receipts  of  the  government  for  each 
business  day  were  more  than  $1,500,000.  In  return  for  this  outlay,  our  One, 
Hundred  Days'  War  may  claim  to  have  done  more  for  the  advancement  of 
liberty  and  civilization  than  hundreds  of  years  had  accomplished  before  it. 
It  has  ridden  the  West  Indies  and  the  Chinese  seas  of  the 
The  Results.  incubus  of  Spanish  medisevalism  ;  for  the  second  time  in 
our  history  monarchies  have  been  taught  a  lesson  in  the 
treatment  of  their  colonies,  which  it  is  of  vital  importance  to  them  to  take 
to  heart ; .  and  the  Republic  of  the  West  now  holds  in  the  councils  of  the 
civilized  world  a  place  of  eminence  which  the  even  tenor  of  her  home- 
restricted  policy  had  alone  debarred  her  from  occupying  hitherto.  It  has 
freed  Cuba,  Porto  Rico  and  the  Philippines,  and  while  winning  for  those 
countries  the  blessings  of  a  free  and  enlightened  form  of  government,  it  has 
secured  valuable  additions  to  our  territory  and  to  our  commercial  resources. 
But  the  war  has  not  only  widened  our  horizon,  geographically  and  politi- 
cally ;  its  effects  at  home  are  such  as  probably  no  other  cause  could  have 
produced  so  swiftly  or  so  thoroughly.  One  grand,  unbroken  wave  of  patri- 
otism has  swept  over  the  land ;  dormant  seeds  of  national  energy  have 
received  a  new  life  ;  the  last  lingering  waifs  of  a  disunited  past  have  been 
buried  forever;  the  hey-day  of  the- harvest  will  prove  well  worthy  the 
labors  and  the  cost  or  the  ordeal  that  preceded  its  dawn. 


340    CHRONOLOGICAL  HISTORY  OF  OUR  WAR  WITH  SPAIN. 

COMPLETE  CHRONOLOGICAL  HISTORY  OF  OUR  WAR 

WITH  SPAIN. 


,\nd  of  the  Last  Insurrection  of  the  Cubans  in  Their  Brave  Fight 

for  Independence. 

1895. 

February  24. — Insurgents  rose  against  Spanish  tyranny  in  Santiago,  Santa  Clara  and  Matanzas 
provinces. 

March  4. — Governor-General  proclaimed  martial  law  in  Santiago  and  Matanzas.  Julio  Sanguily, 
J.  Aguirre  and  other  suspected  Cuban  sympathizers  arrested  and  incarcerated  in  Cabanas 
prison  at  Havana. 

March  8. — American  mail  steamship  "  Allianca  "  fired  upon  by  Spanish  gunboat. 

March  10. — First  battle  of  the  war  at  L,os  Negros  between  1,000  Spanish,  under  General 
Garrich,  aad  700  Cubans,  under  Colonel  Goulet.  Spaniards  defeated.  Spanish  rein- 
forcements airive  from  Porto  Rico  and  7,000  men  from  Spain.  Field  Marshal  Martinez 
Campos  appointed  Captain-General  to  succeed  Colleja,  and  sent  to  Cuba  with  20,000 
troops.  Martial  law  proclaimed  over  whole  island. 

Ma.-cb  24. — Pitched  .battle  at  Jaraguana  between  1,000  Spanish  troops,  under  Colonel  Araoz,  and 
900  Cubans,  under  Amador  Guerra. 

Maich  31. — Antonio  Maeeo,  with  Flor  Crombet,  Dr.  Frank  Agramonte,  Jose  Maceo  and  other 
officers,  landed  at  Bavacoa  with  expedition  from  Costa  Rico  in  British  schooner  "  Honor." 
Schooner  wrecked  and  captain  killed  by  Spaniards.  Latter  attacked  Maceo  at  Duaba, 
but  were  repulsed.  Agramoute  captured.  Provisional  government  proclaimed  by 
Maceo;  Dr.  Tomas  Estrada  Palma,  president;  Jose  Marti,  secretary-general,  and  General 
Maximo  Gomez,  military  director  and  commander-in-chief . 

April  13.— General  Maximo  Gomez,  Jose  Marti  and  eighty  companions  arrived  from  Hayti  and 
landed  on  the  coast  southwest  of  Cape  Maysi. 

April  16. — Captain-General  Campos  landed  with  reinforcements  at  Guantanamo  and 
issued  proclamation  pledging  reforms.  Spanish  Cortes  authorized  government  to  raise 
600,000,000  pesetas  ($120,000,000)  for  war  and  decided  to  send  40,000  reinforcements. 

April  16-18. — Battles  at  and  near  Sabana  de  Jaibo.  Cuban  cavalry  under  Gomez  defeated 
Colonel  Bosch. 

April  21. — Battle  of  Ramon  de  las  Jaguas;  100  Spaniards  killed. 

April  29. — Jose  Maceo  ambuscaded  700  Spaniards  at  Arroyo  Hondo;  150  Spaniards  killed  and 
heavy  Cuban  losses. 

May  6-14. — Raids  and  fights  at  Jobito  and  Cristo  by  Maceo;  Spanish  I/ieutenant-Colonel  Bosch 
killed. 

May  i8v — Insurgent  Convention  elected  Bartolome  Masso  president,  Maximo  Gomez  general- 
in-chief,  and  Antonio  Maceo  commander-in-chief  of  the  Oriental  Division. 

May  19. — Jose  Marti  and  party  of  50  annihilated  by  Colonel  Sandoval  and  800  troops  in  a 
narrow  pass;  Gomez  with  reinforcements  attempted  to  rescue  Marti's  body  and  was 
wounded;  Cuban  loss,  50  killed  and  100  wounded.  Dr.  Tomas  Estrada  Palma  elected  to 
succeed  Marti  as  delegate  to  the  United  States. 

May  20. — Colonel  Lacret  and  Colonel  Torres  landed  with  filibustering  expedition  of  220  men 
from  Jamaica. 


CHRONOLOGIC AI,  HISTORY  OF  OUR  WAR  WITH  SPAIN.     341 

June  2. — Goinez  crossed  trocha  and  entered  province  of  Puerto  Principe. 

June  5. — General  Carlos  Roloff's  filibustering  expedition,  with  353  tnen,  1,000  rifles  and  500 

pounds  of  dynamite,  landed  by  tugboat  "  George  W.  Childs  "  near  Sagua  L,achico,  in 

Santa  Clara. 
June  12. — President  Cleveland  issued  proclamation  warning  citizens  against  joining  or  aiding 

filibustering  expeditions. 

June  18. — Province  of  Puerto  Principe  declared  in  a  state  of  siege. 
June  27. — Captain-General  Campos  asked  Cabinet  for  14,000  fresh  troops. 

July  i. — Campos  established  Moron-Jucara  trocha  to  keep  Gomez  out  of  Santa  Clara  Province. 
July  13. — Captain-General  Campos,  at  head  of  1,500  troops,  attacked  but  defeated  by  Cubans 

under  Maceo  near  Valenzuela  and  compelled  to  retreat  to  Bayamo;  Spanish  General 

Santocildes  and  119  men  killed;  Cuban  loss,  loo  men. 
July  15. — Provisional   Government  formally  constituted  and  a  declaration  of  independence 

proclaimed. 
August  7. — Cuban  Convention  at  Puerto  Principe  elected  the  following  officers:   Provisional 

President  of  the  Republic  of  Cuba,  General  Bartolome  Masso;  Minister  of  the  Interior, 

Marquis  of  Santa  I/ucia;  Vice-President  and  Minister  of  War,  General  Maximo  Gomez; 

Secretary  of  Foreign  Affairs,  Gonzalo  de  Quesada;  General-in-Chief,  General  Antonio 

Maceo. 

August  31. — Spaniards  defeated  by  1,200  men  under  Jose  Maceo,  near  Ramon  de  la  Jaguas. 
September  23. — Constitution  of  Cuban  Republic  proclaimed  by  Congress  of  Delegates  at  Anton 

de  Puerto  Principe,  and  the  following  elected  permanent  officers  of  the  government: 

President,  Salvador  Cisneros;  Vice-President,  Bartolome  Masso;  Secretary  of  War,  Carlos 

Roloff;  Commander-in-Chief,  Maximo  Gomez;  Lieutenant-General ,  Antonio  Maceo. 
October  2. — Maceo  defeated  superior  force  of  2,000  Spaniards  at  Mount  Mogote. 
October  9. — Cuban  loan  of  15,000,000  pesos  ($3,000,000)  placed  in  Paris. 
October  10. — Barracoa  captured  by  Cubans. 
October  27. — General  Carlos  M.  de  Cespedes  landed  near  Barracoa  with  filibustering  expedition 

of  sixty   men,    100  rifles    and   10,000  rounds  of   ammunition,   fitted  out  in   Canada. 

"  I/aurada  "  seized  at  Charleston,  S.  C.,  as  a  filibuster. 
November  18-19. — Spanish   forces  under    Generals   Valdes,    Luque  and  Aldave  defeated  at 

Taguasco;  Spanish  loss,  500. 
December  26. — Gomez  invaded  the  loyal  Province  of  Havana. 

1896. 

January  5. — Gomez  broke  through  Spanish  intrenchments  and  raided  Pinar  del  Rio. 

January  12. — Gomez  defeated  Spaniards  at  Batanobo  and  recrossed  trocha  into  Havana  Province. 

January  12-20.— Maceo  raided  Pinar  del  Rio  Province. 

January  17. — Captain-General    Campos   recalled  to   Madrid   and   General    Valeriano   Weyler 

appointed  to  succeed  him. 
January  26. — Filibuster  "  J.  W.  Hawkins,"  carrying  General  Calixto  Garcia  and  120  men,  sunk 

off  Long  Island  and  ten  men  drowned. 
January  30. — Maceo  recrossed  Habana-Batabano  trocha;  Spaniards  severely  defeated  by  Diaz 

near  Artemisia. 
February  10. — General  Weyler  arrived   at   Havana  on  the  cruiser  "Alfonso  XIII."  and  was 

enthusiastically  greeted. 

February  17. —Weyler  issued  three  proclamations  establishing  rigid  martial  law. 
February  18. — Maceo  attacked  and  captured  Jaruco;  the  next  day  he  joined  Gomez,  and  together 

they  marched  eastward. 
February  22. — Eighteen  non-combatants  killed  by  Spanish  troops  in  Punta  Brava  and  Guatao, 

and  two  American  correspondents  who  investigated  outrage  arrested. 


342     CHRONOLOGICAL  HISTORY  OF  OUR  WAR  WITH  SPAIN. 

February  24. — Filibuster  "Bermuda"  seized  by  United  States  marshals;  General  Garcia  and 

others  arrested,  tried  and  acquitted. 
February  28.—  Senate  adopted  belligerency  resolutions  and  requested  President  to  use  "  friendly 

offices"  to  secure  Cuban  independence. 
March  5. — Weyler  issued  proclamation  offering  amnesty  to  Cubans  who  surrendered  with  arms 

in  hand. 

March  8. — Eighteen  thousand  Spanish  reinforcements  landed  at  Havana. 
March  12. — "  Commodore  "  landed  a  filibustering  expedition  from  Charleston. 
March  13. — Maceo  captured  the  town  of  Batabano. 

March  15. — Maceo  re-entered  Pinar  del  Rio  Province  and  attacked  the  town  of  Pinar  del  Rio. 
March  22. — Gomez  captured  the  town  of  Santa  Clara  and  secured  a  large  amount  of  military 

stores. 
March  25. — "Bermuda"  landed  General  Garcia  with  125  men  and  arms  in  Cuba.     "Three 

Friends  "  and  "  Mallory  "  landed  a  big  expedition  under  General  Collazo  on  the  coast  of 

Matanzas  Province. 

April  6. — House  of  Representatives  concurred  in  Senate's  Cuban  resolution. 
April  25. — American  filibustering  schooner  "  Competitor  "  captured  off  coast  of  Pinar  del  Rio. 

Alfredo  Laborde  and  three  Americans  made  prisoners. 
April  27. — "  Bermuda"  fired  upon  by  Spanish  gunboat  while  trying  to  land  expedition  under 

Colonels  Vidal  and  Torres  and  forced  to  abandon  the  attempt. 
May  14. — Gomez  captured  a  whole  Spanish  battalion  under  Colonel  Segura. 
May  16. — "  Laurada  "  landed  General  J.  F.  Ruiz  and  expedition  in  Cuba. 
May  29. — "  Three  Friends  "  landed  large  cargo  of  ammunition  in  Santa  Clara. 
June  3. — Consul-General  Fitzhugh  Lee  arrived  at  Havana  as  the  successor  of  Ramon  O.  Will- 
iams, resigned. 
June  18.— Expeditions  under Zarrago,  Castillo  and  Cabrera  landed  by  "Three    Friends"  and 

"  Laurada. "  . 

July  5. — Jose  Maceo  killed  in  an  engagement  at  Loma  del  Gato. 
July  15. — General  Inclan  badly  defeated  by  Maceo  at  Caracarajicara,  200  killed  and  nearly  300 

wounded. 

July  30. — President  Cleveland  issued  another  proclamation  against  filibustering. 
August  15. — General  Rabi  defeated  Spaniards  near  Bayamo,  killing  200. 
December  7. — General  Antonio  Maceo  and  Francisco  Gomez,  son  of  the  rebel  commaiider-in- 

chief,  were  killed  in  an  engagement  with  a  Spanish  detachment  under  Major  Cirujeda, 

just  after  Maceo  had  succeeded  in  passing  around  the  end  of  the  Mariel  trocha.     Dr. 

Zertucha,  the  only  member  of  the  staff  who  escaped,  was  accused  of  treachery.     He  sur- 
rendered to  the  Spanish. 
December  15. — "  Three  Friends"  tried  to  land  a  large  expedition  at  the  mouth  of  the  San  Juan 

River,  on  the  south  coast  of  Cuba,  but  was  fired  on  by  a  Spanish  gunboat  and  compelled 

to  put  to  sea  again  with  her  party,  setting  them  down  on  a  desert  Florida  key,  where 

they  were  rescued  by  "Dauntless." 
December  20. — General  Ruiz  Rivera  succeeded  Maceo  as  commander-in-chief  of  the  Cuban 

army  of  the  West. 
December  28. — Julio  Sanguilly  was  tried  and  sentenced  to  imprisonment  for  life  on  a  charge  of 

conspiring  against  the  Spanish  Government. 
December  31. — Filibuster  "Commodore  "  sailed  from  Jacksonville  with  a  small  expedition  for 

Cuba  and  sunk  sixteen  miles  off  the  Florida  coast.     Most  of  the  men  were  saved. 

1897- 

January  13.  —Spaniards  under  General  Segura  attacked  General  Calixta  Garcia  at  Gabuquito, 
and  were  repulsed  with  a  loss  of  300  killed  and  400  wounded. 


CHRONOLOGICAL  HISTORY  OF  OUR  WAR  WITH  SPAIN.     343 

February  4. — Queen  Regent  of  Spain  signed  a  decree  instituting  reforms  in  Cuba. 

February  21. — Secretary  of  State  Oluey  directed  Minister  Taylor,  at  Madrid,  to  demand  a  full 

inquiry  into  the  case  of  Dr.  Ricardo  Ruiz,  who  was  murdered  in  prison,  in  Guanabacoa, 

by  the  Spaniards. 

March  4. — General  Weyler  returned  to  Havana. 
March  21. — Insurgents  captured  Holguin. 
March  28. — General  Ruiz  Rivera,  who  succeeded  Antonio  Maceo,  was  captured  with  100  men 

at  Cabezedas,  by  General  Hermandez  Velasco. 
March  30.  —  "  Laurada  "  landed  at  Banes,  on  the  north  coast  of  Santiago,  three  dynamite  guns, 

one  Hotchkiss  gun  and  a  large  quantity  of  ammunition. 
April  17. — Weyler  declared  that  the  province  of  Santa  Clara  and  part  of  Puerto  Principe  were 

pacified. 
May  12. — Generals  Calixto  Garcia  and  Rabi  defeated  Spanish  troops  under  General  Lonos 

and  compelled  them  to  retreat  on  shipboard  at  Cabocoruz. 
May  17. — President  McKinley  sent  a  message  to  Congress  suggesting  an  appropriation  of 

$50,000  to  relieve  the  distress  of  American  citizens  in  Cuba.     It  was  passed  by  Congress 

and  signed  May  24. 
June  2i. — General  Weyler  sailed  from  Havana  for  Santa  Clara  province,  preceded  by  thirty-six 

battalions  of  infantry  and  strong  forces  of  artillery  and  cavalry. 
June  27. — General  Weyler  reached  the  city  of  Santiago. 

November  10. — Marshal  Blanco  sent  a  cable  to  Senor  de  Lome,  Spanish  Minister  at  Washing- 
ton, announcing  that  extensive  zones  of  cultivation  had  been  marked  out,  rations  issued 

to  the  reconcentrados,  and  promised  that  thereafter  they  would  be  fed  and  treated  well. 
November  18.— Crew  of  the  American  schooner  "Competitor"  captured  in  1896  and  all  sen- 
tenced to  death  were  released. 
November  14.— General  Blanco  sent  envoys  to  insurgent  generals  to  induce  them  to  lay  down 

their  arms. 
November  25. — Dr.  Frank  Agramonte,  Thomas  J.  Sainz  and  other  Americans  imprisoned  in 

Havana  were  released  by  Marshal  Blanco. 
November  26. — Queen  Regent  of  Spain  signed  royal  decrees  granting  political  and  commercial 

autonomy  to  Cuba. 

December  2. — Bishop  of  Havana  appealed  for  food  for  starving  reconcentrados. 
December  9. — Antonio  Rodriguez  Rivera,  an  envoy  sent  by  Blanco  to  bribe  the  insurgents,  was 

hanged  by  the  insurgent  leader  Etnilio  Collazo. 
December  10. — Insurgents  captured  the  seaport  town  of  Caimauera. 
December  28. — President  McKinley  issued  an  appeal  to  the  country  to  aid  starving  Cubans. 


1898. 

January  8. — A  second  appeal  issued  by  President  McKinley  for  contributions  to  aid  suffering 
Cubans  announced  the  co-operation  of  the  American  Red  Cross  Society. 

January  12. — Rioters  instigated  by  volunteers  in  Havana  made  a  demonstration  against  news- 
paper offices. 

January  17. — General  Lee,  in  communications  to  the  State  Department,  suggested  that  a  ship 
be  sent  to  protect  Americans  in  Havana  in  the  event  of  another  riot. 

January  21. — General  Castellanos  with  2,600  troops  raided  Esperanza,  the  seat  of  the  insurgent 
government  in  the  Cubites  Mountains.  Government  officials  escaped. 

January  24. — Battleship  "  Maine  "  ordered  to  Havana  for  the  purpose  of  resuming  the  friendly 
intercourse  of  our  naval  vessels  in  Cuban  waters. 

January  25. — Battleship  "  Maine  "  arrived  at  Havana  and  moored  at  the  government  anchor- 
age. 


3-U     CHRONOLOGICAL  HISTORY  OF  OUR  WAR  WITH  SPAIN. 

January  25. — Filibuster  steamer  "Tillie"  foundered  in  Long  Island  Sound;  four  men  drowned. 
January  27. — Brigadier-General  Aranguren  was  surprised  and  killed  in  bis  camp  near  Tapaste, 

Havana  province,  by  Lieutenant-Colonel   Benedicto  with  the  Spanish  Reina  Battalion. 

He  had  recently  put  to  death  Lieutenant-Colonel   Ruiz,  who  had  brought  him  an  offer 

of  money  from  Blanco  to  accept  autonomy. 
February  9. — Copy  of   a  letter  written   by  Dupuy  de  Lome   attacking   President   McKinley, 

printed.   Senor  Dupuy  de  Lome  admitted  writing  the  letter,  and  his  recall  was  demanded 

by  the  State  Department. 
February  15. — Battleship  "Maine  "  blown  up  in  Havana  harbor;  264  men  and  two  officers 

killed.     Spanish  Minister  De  Lome  sailed  for  Spain. 

February  16. — General  Lee  asked  for  a  court  of  inquiry  on  the  "  Maine  "  disaster. 
February  17. — Captains  W.    T.    Sampson  and   F.  E.   Chadwick,  and   Lieutenant-Commanders 

W.  P.  Potter  and  Adolph  Marix,  detailed  as  Naval  Board  of  Inquiry. 
February  18. — Spanish  warship  "  Vizcaya  "  arrived  at  New  York  harbor. 
February  21. — Naval  court  of  inquiry  arrived  at  Havana  and  began  investigation. 
February  25. — "  Vizcaya  "  sailed  from  New  York  for  Havana. 
March  6. — Spain  unofficially  asks  for  Lee's  recall. 

March  8. — $50,000,000  war  fund  voted  unanimously  by  the  House  of  Representatives. 
March  9. — War  fund  of  f 50,000,000  passed  unanimously  by  the  Senate. 
March  12. — Government  purchased  Brazilian  cruiser  "Amazonas"  and  other  ships  abroad. 
March  14. — Spain's  torpedo  flotilla  sailed  for  Cape  Verde  Islands. 
March  17. — Senator  Redfield  Proctor,  in  a  speech  to  the  Senate,  told  of  the  starvation  and  ruin 

he  had  observed  in  Cuba. 
March  21. — "  Maine  "  Court  of  Inquiry  finished  its  report  and  delivered  it  to  Admiral   Sicard 

at  Key  West. 

March  22. — "  Maine  "  report  sent  to  Washington. 
March  25. — "Maine"  report  delivered  to  the   President,  and   officially  announced  that  the 

"  Maine  "  was  blown  up  by  a  mine. 
March  26. — President  McKinley  sent  two  notes  to  Spain,  one  on  the  "  Maine  "  report,  and  the 

other  calling  for  the  cessation  of  the  war  in  Cuba. 
March  28. — President  McKinley  sent  the  "  Maine  "  report  to  Congress,  with  a  brief  message 

stating  that  Spain  had  been  informed  of  the  court's  findings. 
March  28. — Report  of  the  Spanish  Court  of  Inquiry*  declaring  the  "  Maine  "  was  destroyed  by 

an  interior  explosion,  was  received  in  Washington. 
March  30. — President  McKinley,  through  Minister  Woodford,  asked  Spain  for  a  cessation  of 

hostilities  in  Cuba  and  negotiations  for  ultimate  independence. 
March  31. — Spain  refused  to  accede  to  any  of  President  McKinley's  propositions. 
April  i. — House  of  Representatives  appropriated  $22, 648,000  to  build  war  vessels. 
April  6. — Pope  cabled  President  McKinley  to  suspend  extreme  measures  pending  the  Vatican's 

negotiations  with  Spain. 
April  7. — Ambassadors  of  England,  Germany,  France,  Italy,  Austria  and  Russia  appealed  to 

the  President  for  peace. 

April  9. — Spain  ordered  Blanco  to  proclaim  an  armistice  in  Cuba. 
April  9. — General  Lee  and  American  citizens  left  Havana. 
April  ir. — President  sent  consular  reports  and  message  to  Congress,  asking  authority  to  stop 

the  war  in  Cuba. 

April  16. — United  States  Army  began  moving  to  the  coast. 
April  19. — Both  Houses  of  Congress  adopted  resolutions  declaring  Cuba  free  and  empowering 

the  President  to  compel  Spain  to  withdraw  her  army  and  navy. 
April  20. — President  McKinley  signed  the  resolutions  and  sent  his  ultimatum  to  Spain,  and  the 

Queen  Regent  sent  a  warlike  message  to  the  Cortes. 


CHRONOLOGICAL  HISTORY  OF  OUR  WAR  WITH  SPAIN.     345 

April  21. — Minister  Woodford  was  given  his  passport. 

April  22. — The  President  issued  his  proclamation  to  the  neutral  powers,  announcing  that  Spain 

and  the  United  States  was  at  war.     Commodore  Sampson's  fleet  sailed  from  Key  West  to 

begin  a  blockade  of  Havana.     Gunboat  "  Nashville  "  captured  the  Spanish  ship  "  Buena 

Veutura." 

April  23. — President  issued  a  call  for  125,000  volunteers. 
April  24.  — Spain  formally  declared  that  war  existed  with  the  United  States. 
April  25. — Commodore  Dewey's  fleet  ordered  to  sail  from  Hong  Kong  for  the  Philippines. 
April  27. — Matanzas  bombarded  by  the  "  New  York,"  "  Cincinnati  "  and  "  Puritan." 
April  30. — Admiral  Cervera  left  the  Cape  Verde  Islands  for  the  West  Indies. 
May  i.— Commodore    Dewey  defeated  Admiral    Montojo  in  Manila  Bay,  destroying  eleven 

ships  and  killing  and  wounding  more  than  five  hundred  of  the  enemy.     American 

casualities,  seven  men  slightly  wounded.^ 
May  rr. — Commodore  Dewey  promoted  to  be  a  rear-admiral.     Attacks  made  on  Cienfuegos 

and  Cardenas,  at  which  Ensign  Worth  Bagley  and  five  of  the  "  Winslow's"  crew  killed. 
May  ii. — Admiral  Cerverva's  squadron  sighted  off  Martinique. 

May  12. — Commodore  Sampson  bombarded  San  Juan,  Porto  Rico,  but  caused  little  damage. 
May  13. — The  Flying  Squadron,  under  Commodore  Schley,  left  Hampton  Roads  for  Cuban 

waters. 

May  17. — Cervera's  fleet,  after  coaling  at  Curacoa,  put  into  the  harbor  of  Santiago  de  Cuba. 
May  22. — Cruiser  "  Charleston"  sailed  from  San  Francisco  for  Manila. 
May  24. — Battleship  "Oregon  "  arrived  off  Jupiter  Inlet,  Fla.,  from  her  great  trip  from  San 

Francisco,  which  she  left  March  12. 
May  25. — The  President  issued  his  second  call  for  volunteers,  75,000.     First  Manila  expedition 

left  San  Francisco. 

May  27. — Commodore  Schley  discovered  that  Cervera's  fleet  was  in  Santiago  harbor  and  block- 
aded him. 

May  30. — Commodore  Sampson's  fleet  joined  Commodore  Schley's. 
May  31. — Forts  commanding  the  entrance  to  Santiago  harbor  bombarded. 
June  3. — Hobson  and  seven  men  sank  the  "Merrimac"  in  the  channel  entrance  to  Santiago 

harbor,  and  being  captured  were  confined  in  Morro  Castle. 
June  6. — Spanish  cruiser  "Reina   Mercedes"  sunk  in    the  Santiago  harbor  entrance  by  the 

Spaniards  to  prevent  ingress  of  American  war  vessels. 
June  n. — Body  of  marines  landed  atGuantanamo  from  the  "  Marblehead"  and  "Texas,"  and 

had  a  brisk  skirmish. 

June  12-14. — General  Shafter  embarked  at  Tampa  for  Santiago  with  an  army  of  16,000  men. 
June  15. — Caimanera  forts  bombarded  by  our  war  ships. 

June  15. — Admiral  Camara  with  a  fleet  often  of  Spain's  best  war  ships  left  Cadiz  for  Manila. 
June  20-22. — General  Shafter  disembarked  his  army  of  invasion  at  Baiquiri,  with  a  loss  of  one 

man  killed  and  two  wounded. 
June  21. — Angara,    capital  of   Guam,  one    of  the  islands  of  the  Ladrones,  captured  by  the 

"Charleston." 
June  24. — Juragua  captured  and  the  Spanish  were  defeated  at  Las  Guasimas.     Heavy  loss  on 

both  sides,  among  the  Americans  killed  being  Capron  and  Fish. 
June  28. — General  Merritt  left  for  Manila  to  assume  command  of  the  American  army  operating 

in  the  Philippines. 
July  1-2. — Terrific  fighting  in  front  of  Santiago,  and  El  Caney  and  San  Juan  were  carried  by 

assaults  in  which  the  American  loss  was  great. 

July  3. — Admiral  Cervera's  squadron  of  four  armored  cruisers  and  two  torpedo-boat  destroyers 
annihilated  by  Commodore  Schley's  blockading  fleet.  The  surrender  of  Santiago  was 
demanded  by  General  Shafter. 


346     CHRONOLOGIC AI,  HISTORY  OF  OUR  WAR  WITH  SPAIN. 

July  6.— Hobson  and  his  comrades  were  exchanged  for  six  Spanish  officers. 

July  8. — Admiral  Camara  was  ordered  to  return  with  his  fleet  to  Cadiz  to  protect  Spanish  coast 

threatened  by  American  warships. 

July  10. — A  second  bombardment  of  Santiago,  which  severely  battered  Morro  Castle. 
July  ii. — General  Miles  joined  the  American   Army  before    Santiago    and  conferred  with*. 

General  Shafter  as  to  the  means  for  reducing  the  city. 
July  17. — After  the  expiration  of  two  periods  of  truce  General  Toral  surrendered  Santiago  and 

the  eastern  province  of  Cuba  to  General  Shafter. 
July  20. — General  Leonard  Wood  was  appointed  Military  Governor  of  Santiago,  and  entered 

upon  his  duties  by  feeding  the  hungry,  clothing  the  destitute  and  cleaning  the  city. 
July  21. — The  harbor  of  Nipe  was  entered  by  four  gunboats,  which,  after  an  hours'  fierce  bom- 
bardment, captured  the  port. 
July  25. — General  Miles,  with  8,000  men,  after  a  voyage  of  three  days,  landed  at  Guanica,  Porto 

Rico.     He  immediately  began  his  march  towards  Ponce,  which  surrendered  on  the  twenty- 
eighth. 
July  26. — The  French  Ambassador  at  Washington,  Jules  Cambon,  acting  for  Spain,  asked  the 

President  upon  what  terms  he  would  treat  for  peace. 
July  30. — The  President  communicated  his  answer  to  M.  Cambon. 
July  31. — The  Spaniards  made  a  night  attack  on  the  Americans  investing  Manila  but  were 

repulsed  with  severe  losses. 

August. — The  Rough  Riders  left  Santiago  for  Montauk  Point,  Long  Island. 
August  9. — A  large  force  of  Spanish  were  defeated  at  Coonio,  Porto  Rico,  by  General  Ernst. 

The  Spanish  Government  formally  accepted  the  terms  of  peace  submitted  by  the  President. 
August  12. — The  peace  protocol  was  signed,  an  armistice  proclaimed,  and  the  Cuban  block- 
ade raised. 
August  13. — Manila  was   bombarded  by  Dewey's  fleet  and  simultaneously  attacked  by  the 

American  land  forces,  under  which  combined  assaults  the  city  surrendered  unconditionally. 
August  20. — Great  naval  demonstration  in  New  York  harbor. 

August  22. — All  troops  under  General  Merritt  remaining  at  San  Francisco  ordered  to  Honolulu. 
August  23.  — Bids  opened  for  the  construction   of  twelve  torpedo  boats  and  sixteen  destroyers. 

General   Merritt  appointed  governor  of  Manila.     General  Otis  assumed  command  of  the 

Eighth  Corps  in  the  Philippines. 
August  25. — General  Shafter  left  Santiago. 
August  26. — President  officially  announced  the  names  of  the  American  Peace  Commissioners. 

Last  of  General  Shafter's  command  leaves  Santiago  for  this  country. 
August  29. — Lieutenant  Hobson  arrived  at  Santiago  to  direct  the  raising  of  the  "  Maria  Teresa  " 

and  "Cristobal  Colon." 

August  30. — General  Wheeler  orderd  an  investigation  of  Camp  Wikoff. 
September  2. — Spanish  Government  selected  three  peace  commissioners. 
September  3. — President  visited  Montauk. 
September  9. — Peace  Commission  completed  by  the  appointment  of  Senator  Gray.    President 

ordered  investigation  of  War  Department. 
September  10. — Spanish  Cortes  approved  Peace  Protocol. 

September  n.— American  Porto  Rico  Evacuation  Commission  met  in  joint  session  at  San  Juan. 
September  12. — Admiral  Cervera  left  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  for  Spain. 
September  13. — Roosevelt's  Rough  Riders  mustered  out  of  service.    Spanish  Senate  approved 

Protocol. 

September  14. — Evacuation  of  Porto  Rico  began.     Queen  Regent  signed  Protocol. 
September  17. — American   Cuban   Evacuation  Commissions   met  in   joint  session  at  Havana. 

Peac^  Commissioners  sailed  for  Paris. 
September  20.— Spanish  evacuation  of  outlying  ports  in  Porto  Rico  began.     First  American 

flag  raised  in  Havana. 


CHRONOLOGICAL  HISTORY  OF  OUR  WAR  WITH   SPAIN.     347 

September  24. — Jurisdiction  of  Military  Governor  Wood  extended  to  embrace  entire  province 

of  Santiago  de  Cuba.     First  meeting  of  the  War  Investigating  Committee  held   at  the 

White  House. 
September  25. — Lieutenant  Hobson   floated  the  "  Maria  Teresa."     Revenue  cutter   "  McCul- 

loch  "  captured  insurgent  steamer  "  Abbey,"  near  Manila. 
September  27. — American  Peace  Commissioners  convened  in  Paris. 

September  28. — American  Commissioners  received  by  French  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs. 
September  29.  —Spanish  and  American  Commissioners  toe t  for  first  time,  at  breakfast  given  at 

the  Foreign  Office,  Paris. 

October  i. — Peace  Commissioners  held  first  joint  session. 
October  4. — 2,000  irregular  Spanish  troops  revolted  near  Cienfuegos  and  refused  to  lay  down 

arms  until  paid  back  salaries.     Battleship  "  Illinois  "  launched  at  Newport  News. 
October  10. — American  flag  hoisted  over  Manzanillo,  Cuba. 
October  12. — Battleships  "  Iowa  "  and  "  Oregon  "  left  New  York  for  Manila. 
October  16. — Opening  of  Peace  Jubilee  in  Chicago. 
October  18. — United  States  took  formal  possession  of  Porto  Rico. 
October  24. — Spanish  evacuation  of  Porto  Rico  completed. 
October  25. — Philadelphia  Jubilee  began  with  naval  parade  in  the  Delaware. 
October  30. — Cruiser  "  Maria  Teresa  "  left  Caimanera  for  Hampton  Roads. 
October  31. — American  Peace  Commissioners  demanded  cession  of  entire  Philippine  group. 
November  5. — "  Maria  Teresa,"  cruiser,  reported  lost  off  San  Salvador. 
November  8. — "  Maria  Teresa  "  reported  ashore  at  Cat  Island. 
November  17. — Evacuation  of  Camp  Meade  completed. 

November  21.— American  ultimatum  presented  to  Spanish  Peace  Commissioners. 
November  25. — First  United  States  troops  landed  in  Havana  province. 
November  28.— Spain  agreed  to  cede  Philippines. 
November  30. — Blanco  left  Havana  for  Spain. 
December  10. — Peace  Treaty  signed. 

December  n. — Small  riot  in  Havana.     Three  Cubans  killed. 
December  14. — General  Lee  arrived  in  Havana. 

December  23. — Iloilo  surrendered  to  insurgents.     Aguinaldo's  "Cabinet"  resigned. 
December  24. — Peace  Treaty  delivered  to  President  McKinley. 
December  27. — American  Evacuation  Commissioners  issued  a  proclamation  to  the  inhabitants 

of  Cuba. 
December  31.— Last  day  of  Spanish  sovereignty  in  Western  hemisphere. 

1899. 

January  i. — The  American  flag  raised  over  the  Palace  at  Havana. 
February  4-5. — Filipinos  attack  and  try  to  burn  Manila. 
February  6. —Treaty  with  Spain  ratified  by  the  Senate. 
February  10. — Capture  of  Iloilo  by  General  Miller. 
February  10. — Bombardment  and  capture  of  Caloocan. 
March  17. — Queen  Regent  of  Spain  signs  the  peace  treaty. 
March  25.— A  general  advance  against  the  Filipinos. 
March  26. — Colonel  Harry  C.  Egbert  killed  near  Malinta. 
March  31. — Assault  and  capture  of  Malolos,  the  Filipinos'  capital. 

April  4. — Philippine  Commission  addresses  a  conciliatory  proclamation  to  the  insurgents. 
April  ii. — General  Lawton  defeats  the  Filipinos  at  Santa  Cruz. 
April  ii.— Final  exchange  of  the  ratifications  of  the  Paris  peace  treaty. 

April  ii. — Proclamation  of  President  McKinley,   announcing  restoration  of   peace  between 
Spain  and  America. 


348  DEAR  OLD  YANKEE  DOODLE. 


DEAR  OLD  YANKEE  DOODLE! 

The  Song  is  Seven  Centuries  Old  and  Four  Great  Nations  Have 

Owned  It. 

YANKEE  DOODLE  "  is  one  of  the  oldest  songs  in  the  world,  and  at 
different  periods  of  an  unparalleled  career  has  belonged  to  England, 
to  the  once  vast  empire  of  Holland,  and  to  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church,  where  it  probably  originated,  somewhere  about  the  year 
1 200  A.  D.     If  you  happen  to  be  a  musician  and  do  not  believe  that  such 
an  undignified  ditty  ever  could  have  been  intended  for  solemn  purposes,  play 
it  over   on  a  pipe  organ,  very  simply  and  slowly,  and  as  the  majesty  of  a 
grand  old  papal  chant  fills  your  soul  all  your  doubts  will  vanish  away. 

Several  hundred  years  ago  the  good  people  of  Holland  thought  so  much 
of  "Yankee  Doodle"  that  they  adopted  the  tune  for  a  harvest  song  and 
made  up  new  words  for  it.  Mary  Mapes  Dodge  gives  one  of  the  verses  in 
'  Hans  Brinker  "  : 

Yanker  didee  dudle  down 

Didee  dudel  launter. 
Yankee  viver  voover  vown, 

Botermelt  und  taunter. 

Nobody  knows  exactly  what  this  verse  meant,  but  the  lines  are  interest- 
ing because  they  are  primarily  responsible  for  the  word  "  Yankee  "  and  for 
the  familiar  English  version  of  "  Yankee  Doodle." 

Soon  after  being  first  sung,  this  quaint  verse  became  so  popular  among 
all  classes  in  Holland  that  it  may  be  called  a  truly  national  song.  It  was 
sung  in  livelier  time  than  the  old  chant  which  it  supplanted. 

While  the  great  naval  war  of  the  sixteenth  century  was  in  progress,  the 
English,  under  Admiral  Drake,  caught  the  tune.  Much  to  the  surprise  of 
everybody,  England  broke  the  mighty  sea  power  of  Hoi- 
it  Fro^he'outch1  land>  and  when  the  fighting  was  over  the  English  people 
sang  mocking  parodies  of  the  old  song  against  its  hated 
authors.  Yankee  was  understood  to  mean  a  Dutchman.  Since  the  Dutch 
were  sharp  traders,  the  popular  meaning  of  the  word  came  to  be  a  shrewd, 
hard-headed,  ungracious  sort  of  a  fellow.  Holland  then  tried  to  forget  the 
song,  and  it  thus  passed  into  the  hands  of  another  nation. 


DEAR  OLD  YANKEE  DOODLE.  349 

All  England  sang  varying  words  to  it  in  Oliver  Cromwell's  time.  But 
one  day — the  day  that  the  great  reformer  rode  into  Oxford  at  the  head  of  the 
rebels  to  battle  with  the  King's  army — he  wore  an  immense  ostrich  feather 
fastened  to  his  hat  by  a  band  of  heavy  silk  "maccaroni"  cord.  Yankee 
Doodle  then  being  a  term  of  contemptuous  ridicule,  one  of  the  courtiers  of 
the  boastful  King  composed  the  famous  refrain : 

Yankee  Doodle  came  to  town 

Riding  on  a  pony; 
Stuck  a  feather  in  his  hat 

And  called  it  maccaroni. 

The  rhyme  did  not  hold  its  first  popularity  very  long,  because  the  rebels 
were  successful,  and  probably  it  would  have  been  forgotten  entirely  had  not 
the  old  King's  son  returned  to  power  a  few  years  later.  Meanwhile,  the 
reformers  had  sung  the  tune  to  many  nonsense  verses,  which  soon  spread  to 
America. 

The  best  known  of  these  was  "  Lydia  Fisher's  jig,"  which  made  its 
appearance  in  New  England  about  the  year  1713,  and  became  famous  as  a 
dance  song.  The  words  ran  : 

t,ucy  Locket  lost  her  pocket; 

I/ydia  Fisher  found  it. 
Not  a  bit  of  money  in  it, 

Only  binding  round  it. 

"  Lucy  Locket"  was  very  popular  till  1775,  when  British  regulars  were 
encamped  on  Boston  Common,  and  the  natives  of  the  city 

i  v  •    •         •    .  •          f    John  Hancock's 

and  surrounding  towns  were  organizing  into  companies  of   J 

"  minute    men "  under    John    Hancock.      While    as    yet 
there    had   been  no    open    war,    the    feeling   was   very   bitter   among   the 
colonists,  who  were  held  in  such  contempt  by  the  soldiers  that  they  were 
taunted  with  the  familiar  tune  to  the  words : 

Yankee  Doodle  came  to  town 

For  to  buy  a  firelock. 
We  will  tar  and  feather  him, 

And  so  we  will  John  Hancock. 

This  made  the  colonists  so  angry  that  they  declined  any  longer  to  sing 
art  air  put  to  such  contemptuous  words  against  themselves.  A  few  weeks 
later  something  happened  that  changed  their  minds,  for  it  was  the  destiny 
of  "  Yankee  Doodle  "  to  become,  apparently  forever,  the  undisputed  property 
of  America. 


350  THE  LAST  GREAT  BATTLE   WITH  THE   INDIANS. 

In  April,  1775,  Lord  Percy  marched  out  of  Boston  with  a  brigade  of 
British  regulars  to  disperse  the  rebels  assembled  at  Lexington  and  Concord. 
Amid  cheering  and  flying  flags,  the  bands  played  "  Yankee  Doodle,"  and  the 
red-coated  soldiers  sang  boastfully  the  old  words  which  had  vainly  ridiculed 
Oliver  Cromwell  over  a  hundred  years  before.  Perhaps,  when  they  began 
to  sing,  they  had  forgotten  how,  even  before  Cromwell's  time,  the  tune  had 
been  turned  against  its  very  authors.  He  must  have  remembered  before 
returning  to  Boston,  for  at  Lexington  the  vaunted  soldiers  of  King  George 
were  routed  by  a  handful  of  patriots,  who,  when  they  saw  how  things  were 
going,  went  wild  with  joy,  and  taking  the  words  right  out  of  the  mouths  of 
their  adversaries,  shouted  in  exultation  the  song  that  had  been  aimed  at 
them  in  contempt 

During  the  flight  back  to  the  camp  the  regulars  were  peppered  with 
shot  from  behind  stone  walls  and  trees,  so  much  to  their  own  discomfort  that 
Lord  Percy,  in  a  fit  of  disgust,  next  morning  confessed  that  after  marching 
out  to  the  tune  of  "  Yankee  Doodle "  they  had  danced  to  Lit  all  the  way 
home. 

"Yankee  Doodle  "  has  already  belonged  to  the  three  great  families  of 
the  Caucasian  race — the  Latin,  the  Teutonic  and  the  Anglo-Saxon.  In  seven 
centuries  it  has  been  carried  into  the  heart  of  four  of  the  greatest  political 
powers  of  history. 

But  in  America  the  song  has  found  a  permanent  lodgment,  and  with  our 
expanding  territory  it  is  destined  to  be  an  inspiring  melody  on  distant  shores, 
where  waves  the  emblem  of  American  liberty,  and  where  courageous  Yan- 
kees carry  the  higher  civilization. 


THE  LAST  GREAT  BATTLE  WITH  THE  INDIANS. 

BY  J.  W.  BUEI,. 

THERE  is  a  pathetic  interest  that  attaches  to  the  Indians,  especially 
for  those  who  reflect  upon  the  sufferings  which  they  have  endured 
at  the  hands  of  their  subjugators.     The  unthoughtful   are  apt  to 
regard  what  are  known  as  the  "  Red  Skins  "  as  being  more  than 
savages,  as  the  impersonation  of  cruelty,  and  the  incarnation  of  blood  thirsti- 
ness,  hateful  and  unappeasable.     The  thoughtful,   on  the  other  hand,   will 
reflect  upon  the  conditions  and  circumstances  that  have  conspired  to  make 
the  Indian  an  implacable  enemy  of  the  white  race.     The  whole  of  what  are 


THE  LAST  GREAT  BATTLE  WITH  THE  INDIANS.  351 

now  the  United  States  once  belonged,  by  right  of  immemorial  occupation, 
to  the  Red  Man.  To  him  the  country  was  a  vast  preserve  affording  abundant 
means  of  livelihood  without  fatiguing  drafts  upon  his  energies.  When  con- 
fronted by  the  white  man,  his  simple  rnind,  untutored,  inexperienced,  super- 
stitious, prompted  him  to  a  reverence  such  as  awe  inspires;  but  the  white 
man  came  in  gleaming  armor,  with  falchion  and  spear,  upon  a  mission  of 
conquest.  Before  this  interloper  the  Red  Man  was  forced  to  retire.  His  valor 
availed  him  nothing  ;  he  fought  with  courage  aud  died  in  despair.  Driven 
ever  westward,  before  trained  armies  and  pioneers,  the  Red  Man  sought,  but 
could  find  no  refuge ;  his  blood  trails  were  everywhere,  but  place  of  final 
rest  there  was  none.  From  a  population  of  nearly  ten  million,  at  the  time 
the  Jamestown  settlement  was  made  (1607),  the  Indians  of  North  America 
have  dwindled  to  less  than  quarter  of  a  million,  and  in  another  century  the 
race  will  become  extinct  like  their  progenitors,  the  mound-builders.  Their 
number  is  so  small,  their  spirit  so  broken,  their  despair  so  great,  that  though 
they  stubbornly  refuse  to  assimilate  with  their  conquerors,  and  tenaciously 
maintain  the  customs  of  their  forbears,  no  existing  tribe  of  Indians  will  ever 
again  seriously  dispute  the  mastery  of  their  subjugators. 

The  illustration  on  the  accompanying  page  is  appropriately  entitled,  and 
graphically  represents  the  last  rally  that  the  fast  disappearing  race  will 
ever  make. 

On  June  26,  1876,  General  Custer,  with  200  as  brave  men  as  ever  faced 
an  enemy,  while  seeking  a  large  band  of  Sioux  Indians  who  had  broken 
away  from  their  Dakota  reservation  and  had  been  committing  many  depreda- 
tions, came  suddenly  upon  the  foe,  2,500  strong,  in  a  valley  of  the  I/ittle  Big 
Horn.  The  result  of  the  battle  constitutes  one  of  the  greatest  tragedies  of 
American  history,  but  the  particulars  can  never  be  accurately  told  because 
not  a  single  person  in  Ouster's  force  escaped  the  fury  of  the  Indians.  The 
remains  of  this  heroic  band  were  discovered  a  few  days  later,  mutilated  and 
massed  about  their  brave  commander,  showing  how  fiercely  they  had  fought 
and  how  bravely  they  had  died. 

Three  months  later  another  fight  took  place,  between  the  regular 
cavalry,  led  by  General  Miles,  and  Chief  Joseph  of  the  Nez  Perce  Indians, 
the  result  of  which  was  not  only  a  victory,  but  a  punishment  so  severe  that 
it  has  served  as  an  example  and  as  a  perpetual  restraint  to  the  Indian  instinct 
to  make  reprisal  upon  their  white  foe.  The  Nez  Perce  tribe  rebelled  against 
the  Government's  decision  to  locate  them  in  northeast  Oregon  and  north- 
west Idaho,  and  went  upon  the  war  path,  driving  off  stock  and  murdering 
settlers.  General  Howard  set  out  with  a  strong  force  of  cavalry  to  apprehend 
the  marauders,  but  his  search  was  a  fruitless  one,  for  the  Indians  contrived  to 


352 


THE  LAST   GREAT  BATTLE   WITH  THE   INDIANS. 


elude  his  every  effort  to  find  them.  General  Miles,  who  at  the  tim^  was  a 
Colonel,  then  went  in  pursuit  of  the  Indians,  which  he  came  upon,  500 
strong,  on  the  fourth  of  October,  1876,  at  Bear  Paw  Mountain,  Montana,  and 
their  retreat  being  cut  off,  a  desperate  battle  ensued  which  lasted  for  several 
hours.  The  Indians  lost  more  than  one-half  their  number  in  killed  and 
the  remainder  were  taken  prisoners,  except  a  dozen  who  escaped  with  Chief 
White  Bird.  This  fight  was  so  disastrous  to  the  Indians,  that  the  Nez  Perce 
tribe  was  Deduced  to  a  pitiful  number,  incapable  of  further  armed  resistance, 
while  all  the  other  once  powerful  tribes  have  been  similarly  reduced,  and  are 
now  practically  prisoners  to  the  strong  arm  of  the  government.  The 
power  of  the  Red  Man  has  therefore  been  extinguished  forever,  and  the 
time  approaches  when,  like  the  game  of  the  great  west,  he  will  disappear,  or 
survive  only  as  the  relic  of  a  lost  race. 


LOADING   COMMISSARY   STORES   ONTO    CARABON    CARTS,    AT   THE 
PASIG   RIVER   WHARF. 


fe 
o 

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O 
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FILIPINO   WOMEN   BATHING   IN   THE   UPPER    PASIG   RIVER. 


K 
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P 


SAN  FRANCISCO 


UNITED 


-<ONG 


ANILA 


i PHILIPPINE  is 


SANDWICH    ).- 


WAR  MAP  OF  THE  WORLD,  SHOWING  DIS 


t.    Bell  and  mushroom  bottom  mines. 


2.    Anchored  buoyant  mines.  3.    Anchor.  4.    Anchored  mine  wi 

7.    Holland  Subinarim 

REPRESENTATION  OF  MODERN  BATTI 


SOUTH 

AMERICA 


AFRICA 


»  BETWEEN  POINTS  OP  NAVAL  INTEREST. 


ljustment.  5.    Discharged  Whitehead  and  Howell  torpedoes, 

barging  a  torpedo. 

>  AND  TORPEDO  BOATS  IN  ACTION. 


5.    Sims-Edison  torpedo  directed  oy  wire. 


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THE  LAST  ONE  ON  BOARD— UNITED  STATES  TROOPS  LEAVING  SAN  FRANCISCO 

FOP   MANILA,  MAY  25,   1898. 


BRAVE   WOMAN   NURSES  ON   THE   FIELD  OF  BATTLE.      353 

BRAVE  WOMAN  NURSES  ON  THE  FIELD  OF  BATTLE. 

BY  HANNAH  PERRINE  WESTFALL. 

A^  dawn  on  April  6,  1863,  the  battle  of  Shiloh  began.     The  cannon- 
ading shook  the  earth  where   we  were.     The  Union  forces  were 
driven  back  by   the  Confederates  under  General    Albert   Sidney 
Johnston.     The  surgeons  gave  us  orders  to  prepare  for  tremendous 
woik,  but  none  of  us  had  any  idea  of  what  the  battle  would  mean  for  the 
hospital  corps.     At  about  ten  o'clock   the  wounded  began  arriving  at  our 
hospital  tents  in  the  rear  of  the  army  of  the  Ohio,  under  the  command  of 
General   Sherman.     We  had  labored   like  beavers  for  five   hours  making 
ready,  as  far  as  possible,  for  expeditious  work,   when  the  wounded  soldiers 
began  to  come.     While  the  cannon  boomed,  and  cavalry  and  artillery  ad- 
vanced and  retreated  over  in  the  forest  a  mile  away,  we  set  up  cots  in  tents, 
got  out  old  clothes,  sorted  out  bandages  and   lint,  arranged  medicines,  got 
fresh  water  ready,  and  did  a  thousand  and  one  things  that  an  army   nurse 
must  do  to  assist  the  surgeons  and  ambulance  men. 

Oh,  what  frightful  scenes  there  were,  as  the  four-horse,  double-decked 
ambulances  came  through  mud  to  the  surgeons'  tents.  The  soldiers  looked 
like  overgrown  boys.  Some,  indeed,  were  about  eighteen  years  old.  They 
were  packed  like  sardines  in  the  great  wagons,  and  the  groans  and  moans  of 
the  poor  fellows  as  the  ambulances  stopped  before  the  surgeons'  tents  were 
beyond  description.  Some  had  died  on  the  way  from  the  battlefield,  and 
they  were  laid  one  side,  while  the  living  were  hauled  out  from  the  wagons 
as  quickly  as  possible.  The  floors  of  the  two  decks  in  the  ambulances  were 
covered  with  blood.  The  men's  trousers  were  as  red  with 
gore  as  if  they  had  been  soused  in  buckets  of  blood.  No  The  Surseon'» 

Headquarters    a 

one  can  ever  tell  to  one  who  has  never  been  at  the  front  of   siaughter-House. 
war  the  monstrous  horror  of  a  surgeon's  headquarters  dur- 
ing and  after  a  battle.  All  day  and  all  night  long,  on  both  the  sixth  and  seventh 
of  April  the  ambulances  carried  thousands  of  the  dead  and  wounded  to  the 
rear.     The  monstrous  horror  of  war  was  realized  by  us  more  at  Shiloh  than 
elsewhere  during  the  rebellion. 

For  ten  hours  we  nurses  worked  as  I  never  believed  before  any  one  could. 
I  believe  that  I  personally  washed  over  two  hundred  and  fifty  men.  Some 
were  unconscious  and  some  raging  with  fever.  All  were  covered  with  mud, 
and  their  clothes  saturated  with  blood.  Some  were  so  badly  torn  by  shells  and 
grape  that  their  clothes  had  to  be  cut  away.  The  general  cry  was  for  water 
23 


354       BRAVE  WOMAN   NURSES   ON  THE   FIELD  OF  BATTLE. 

- — cold  water.  They  were  all  burning  with  the  fever  that  follows  gunshot 
wounds  when  surgical  aid  is  not  had  at  once.  Some  poor  fellows  had  lain  ten 
and  twelve  hours  on  the  battlefield  waiting  for  death.  The  air  was  sick- 
ening and  heavy  with  the  smell  of  perspiration  and  warm  blood. 

One  young  man  died  while  I  was  opening  his  shirt.  He  had  joked  a 
minute  before,  in  spite  of  a  hole  through  his  body  by  a  minie  ball,  about 
the  way  Buell's  Corps  had  surprised  the  Rebs.  One  man  from  Iowa  asked 
me  to  get  his  haversack  open  so  that  he  could  look  upon  a  picture  of  his 
wife  which  he  had  there.  I  did  so,  and  j  ust  as  I  found  the  photograph  he 
clasped  his  hands  to  the  wound  in  his  shoulder  and  died. 
Love  Letters  Written  Dozens  of  soldiers  asked  me  to  take  the  names  and  addresses 

for  Dying  Soldiers. 

of  dear  ones  at  home.  That  was  something  we  always  pro- 
vided for,  and  did  faithfully.  We  all  used  to  sit  up  nights  after  a  skirmish  or  a 
battle,  and  write  letters  to  relatives  and  friends  as  we  had  promised  dying  sol- 
diers to  do.  It  was  a  pious  duty,  and  I  never  knew  anyone  to  shirk  it.  Some 
of  the  dearest  and  most  sacred  friendships  I  ever  formed  were  in  writing 
letters  home  for  a  dying  soldier. 

For  five  days  and  four  nights  the  surgeons,  nurses  and  others  about  the 
hospitals  worked  almost  constantly  amid  agonizing  scenes.  Hundreds  of 
arms  and  legs  were  amputated.  I  saw  literally  a  pile  of  members  of  the 
human  body  heaped  outside  a  surgeon's  headquarters  that  could  not  be  put 
into  a  common  farm  wagon.  There  were  dozens  of  such  surgeons'  head- 
quarters on  the  field  at  Shiloh. 

When  we  were  in  the  hospitals  at  the  rear  of  the  trenches  from  which 
the  siege  of  Vicksburg  was  conducted,  we  had  surgical  amputations  and 
operations  every  day  for  weeks.  The  surgeons  could  work  more  leisurely 
there,  and  the  death  rate  from  operations  was  not  so  high  as  at  the  close  of 
a  battle.  Day  after  day  we  heard  the  roar  of  Sherman's  big  guns.  Several 
times  we  saw  General  Grant  during  those  days.  Once  he  came  and  called 
at  our  hospital  upon  Colonel  Watkins,  who  was  recovering  from  a  shot  in  the 
neck.  General  John  A.  Logan  came  frequently  to  call  upon  the  soldiers  in  the 
hospitals  during  the  Vicksburg  campaign,  and  we  had  almost  daily  visits 
from  such  ladies  as  Mrs.  Logan,  Mrs.  McPherson  and  the  wives  of  brigadier- 
generals  and  colonels.  The  soldiers  in  the  hospitals  fared  better  in  the 
Vicksburg  campaign  than  at  any  other  time  in  the  Civil  War. 

There  is  joy  also  in  the  life  of  an  army  nurse.  When  we  had  nursed  a 
poor,  suffering  and  appreciative  man  through  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of 
death,  and  finally  began  to  see  him  grow  easier,  we  felt  so  good.  When  at 
last  he  sat  up  and  was  finally  discharged  as  well  enough  to  go  home,  we 
were  very  happy.  There  is  a  wonderful  satisfaction  in  seeing  a  brave  man 


AN   EARLY   MARTYR   OF  THE   CIVIL   WAR.  355 

restored  to  vigor  and  usefulness  under  your  care.  Then  the  heroism  that  an 
army  nurse  sees  often  displayed  where  it  is  at  least  expected  .  One  feels  that 
nothing  is  too  good  for  a  man  who  will  leave  home  and  all  that  is  dear  to  him 
to  go  and  suffer  untold  agony  for  patriotic  principle.  I  have  in  mind  a  colonel 
of  an  Illinois  regiment  at  Chickamauga,  who  had  a  horrible  wound  in  the 
shoulder  from  a  piece  of  shell.  He  walked  three  miles  to  the  surgeon's 
tent,  because  he  wanted  to  let  the  more  severely  wounded  soldiers  ride  in  the 
ambulance.  He  declined  to  take  chloroform,  and  endured  the  intense  pain  of 
extracting  over  fifty  pieces  of  bone  from  among  the  quivering  flesh  with 
only  an  occasional  sigh. 


AN  EARLY  MARTYR  OF  THE  CIVIL  WAR. 


Colonel  Ellsworth,  of  the  Fire  Zouaves — His  Struggles  with  Poverty, 
and  His  Crowning  Heroism, 

BY  WILSON   CONROY. 

(From  Success.) 

COLONEL   EPHRAIM    ELMER    ELLSWORTH  was  one   of  the 
dearest  of  the  friends  of  my  youth,"  says  John  Hay.     "  I  cannot 
hope  to  enable  the  reader  to  see  him  as  I  saw  him.     No  words  can 
express  the  vivid  brilliancy  of  his  look  and  speech,  the  swift  and 
graceful  energy  of  his  bearing.     He  was  not  a  scholar,  yet  his  words  were 
like  martial  music  ;  in  stature  he  was  less  than  the  medium  size,  yet  his 
strength  was  extraordinary  ;  he  seemed  made  of  tempered  steel.     His  entire 
aspect  breathed  high  ambition  and  daring.      His  jet-black  curls,  his  open, 
candid  brow,  his  dark  eye,  at  once  fiery  and  tender,  his  eagle  profile,  his 
mouth  just  shaded  by  the  youthful  growth  that  hid  none  of  its  powerful  and 
delicate  lines, — the  whole  face,  which  seemed  made  for  nothing  less  than 
the  command  of  men,  whether  as  a  general  or  an  orator,  comes  before  me  as 
I  write." 

Ephraim  Elmer  Ellsworth  was  born  at  Malta,  Saratoga  County,  N.  Y., 
April  n,  1837,  not  far  from  the  scene  of  Burgoyne's  surrender.  "The  air 
he  first  drew  in  came  to  him  after  sweeping  over  plains  made  historic  by  the 
patriot  arms  ;  the  first  tales  told  him  were  how,  upon  the  fields  of  his  native 


356  AN   EARLY    MARTYR   OF  THE   CIVIL   WAR. 

county,  one  of  the  decisive  battles  of  the  war  for  independence  was  fought." 

At  fourteen,  he  entered  the  village  store  at  Mechanicsville  ;    a  year  latej 

he  went  to  Troy,  "  a  venturer  in  a  frail  bark  upon  life's  sea,  his  only  chart  a 

common  school  education  and  the  precepts  of  kind  parents." 

*  Youth  e  ^e  sPent  a  year  ^ere,  and  then  went  to  New  York. 
"  Faithful,  honest  clerks,"  he  said  to  his  father,  "  are 
always  wanted  there ;  one  who  knows  his  duty  and  will  do  it,  cannot  fail  to 
succeed." 

At  New  York,  his  taste  for  military  life  was  acquired.  He  attended 
every  drill  he  could  of  the  Seventh  Regiment,  read  books  of  tactics,  and 
began  to  form  original  ideas,  and  develop  extraordinary  plans  regarding 
military  organization.  Four  years  of  struggle  and  the  strictest  self-denial 
followed.  Everything  that  tended  toward  making  a  soldier  perfect  in  thought, 
study,  or  deed,  he  strove  to  acquire.  He  became  master  of  several  systems 
of  bayonet  exercise,  and,  under  DeVilliers'  tuition,  an  accomplished  swords- 
man. He  became  drill-master  of  the  Governor's  Guard  of  Wisconsin. 

About  this  time  Ellsworth  tried  to  enter  the  office  of  a  Chicago  lawyer. 

"  I  am  determined  to  study  law,"  said  he,  after  he  was  refused  entrance, 

"  and  to  succeed,  if  I  have  to  borrow  a  copy  of  Blackstone 

Would  Study  Black-  ancj  study  in  the  court-house  cupola.     But  I  want  to  start 

*  house  Cuoo\a    '  "S^t,  an<^  rather  than  not  do  so,  would  enter  an  office  in 

any  capacity, — build  fires,  if  nothing  else  is  to  be  done, 

and  trust  to  time  to  work  my  way  to  the  position  I  desire." 

He  began  to  study  law,  and  earned  a  pittance  by  copying  legal  papers. 
Here  Hay  furnishes  us  information  from  Ellsworth's  diary,  which  was  begun 
on  his  twenty-second  birthday.  "I  do  this,"  he  said,  "because  it  seems 
pleasant  to  be  able  to  look  back  upon  our  past  lives  and  note  the  gradual 
change  in  our  sentiments  and  views  of  life ;  and  because  my  life  has 
been,  and  bids  fair  to  be,  such  a  jumble  of  strange  incidents,  that,  should  I 
become  anybody  or  anything,  this  will  be  useful  as  a  means  of  showing  how 
much  suffering  and  temptation  a  man  may  undergo  and  still  keep  clear  of 
despair  and  vice." 

"  He  was  neat,  almost  foppish,  in  attire,"  says  Hay;  "  not  strictly  fashion- 
able, for  he  liked  bright  colors,  flowing  cravats,  and  hats  that  suggested  the 
hunter  or  ranger,  rather  than  the  law  clerk ;  yet  the 
Living  on  Crackers;.ttance  f  hi  h  he  worked  was  very  small  and  his 

Sleeping 

on  the  Floor.       poverty  extreme."     He  bought  a  forty-five-dollar  desk  at 

auction  for  fourteen  dollars,  which  he  borrowed  of  James 

Clayburne.     Some  two  years  before,  he  went  into  an  eating-house  on  an 

errand.     Clayburne,  with  friends,  invited  him  to  take  oysters  with  them. 


AN   EARLY    MARTYR   OF  THE   CIVIL  WAR.  357 

"  I  refused,"  he  writes,  "  for  I  always  made  it  a  practice  never  to  accept  even 
an  apple  from  anyone,  because  I  could  not  return  the  courtesy."  Before  he 
knew  it,  the  oysters  were  there.  "  To  escape  making  myself  more  conspicuous 
by  further  refusal,  I  sat  down.  How  glorious  every  morsel  tasted, — the  first 
nourishing  food  I  had  tasted  for  three  days  and  three  nights  !  When  I  came 
to  Chicago  with  a  pocketful  of  money,  I  sought  James  out,  and  told  him  I 
owed  him  half  a  dollar.  He  objected,  but  I  made  him  take  the  money. 
Well,  when  I  wanted  $10,  he  gave  it  to  me  freely.  I  have  written  four  hours 
this  evening ;  "have  eaten  two  pounds  of  crackers,  and  shall  sleep  on  the 
office  floor  to-night." 

"  I  read  one  hundred  and  fifty  pages  of  Blackstone,"  reads  a  later  record, 
"  and  slept  on  the  floor."  This  severe  regimen  began  to  tell  upon  him,  his 
food  tending  to  debilitate  him,  even  more  than  his  rough  bed.  "  I  tried  to 
read,  but  could  not.  I  am  afraid  my  strength  will  not  hold  out.  I  have 
contracted  a  cold  sleeping  on  the  floor,  which  settled  in  my  head."  About 
this  time,  on  urgent  solicitation,  he  became  a  commander  of  cadets,  on 
promise  of  obedience  to  rigorous  conditions.  "  He  was  firm  as  granite  to 
his  company,  and  cheery  to  the  world,  while  severe  to  himself." 

"  I  am  convinced  that  the  course  of  reading  I  am  pursuing  is  not  suffi- 
ciently thorough,"  he  writes.  "  I  have  commenced  again  at  the  beginning 
of  Blackstone.  I  read  a  proposition  or  paragraph  and  reason  upon  it,  and 
try  to  get  at  the  principle  involved  in  my  own  language ;  view  it  in  every 
light,  till  I  think  I  understand  it ;  then  write  it  down  in  my  commonplace 
book.  My  progress  is,  in  consequence,  very  slow ;  it  takes  half  an  hour  to 
each  page.  I  attended  a  meeting  of  cadets ;  all  my  propositions  were 
accepted.  I  spent  my  last  ten  cents  for  crackers  to-day  and  read  ten  pages 
of  Blackstone." 

The  next  day  he  writes :  "  My  mind  was  so  occupied  with  obtaining 
money  due  to-morrow  that  I  could  not  study.  I  read  five  pages  of  Black- 
stone,  but  had  nothing  whatsoever  to  eat.  I  am  very  tired 

and  hungry  to-night.     Onward  !  "  ^"^  !!",? £l? 

He  Studied  Hard. 

He  assumed  command  of  the  cadets.  No  sign  ap- 
peared in  his  bearing  of  consuming  want.  He  took  high  ground ;  if  they 
elected  him  it  would  be  with  their  eyes  open.  He  would  make  the  company 
second  to  none.  He  forbade  cadets  entering  drinking  or  gambling  saloons, 
or  other  disreputable  places,  under  penalty  of  expulsion,  newspaper  publica- 
tion and  loss  of  uniform.  He  still  studied  law. 

"  So  aim  to  spend  your  time,"  he  wrote,  "  that  at  night,  when  looking 
back  at  the  disposal  of  the  day,  you  find  no  time  misspent,  no  hour,  no 
moment,  even,  which  has  not  resulted  in  some  benefit,  no  action  which  had 


358  AN   EARLY    MARTYR  OF  THE   CIVIL   WAR. 

not  a  purpose  in  it.  On  Mondays,  Thursdays  and  Saturdays,  rise  at  five 
o'clock  ;  from  five  to  ten,  study  ;  from  ten  to  one,  copy  ;  from  one  to  four, 
transact  business  ;  from  four  to  seven,  study  ;  from  seven 


H  15*03  sC      to  ei&kt,  exercise  ;  from  eight  to  ten,  study.    On  Tuesdays, 
Wednesdays  and  Fridays,  rise  at  six  o'clock  ;   from  six  to 
ten,  study  ;  from  ten  to  one,  attend  to  business  ;  from  one  to  seven,  study  and 
copy  ;   from  seven  to  eleven,  drill."     Surely  this  youth  determined,  with 
Milton  — 

"To  scorn  delights,  and  live  laborious  days." 

"  Throwing  aside  the  old  ideas  of  soldierly  bearing,  he  taught  his  men  to 
use  vigor,  promptness,  and  ease.  Discarding  the  stiff  buckram  strut  of 
military  tradition,  he  taught  them  to  move  with  the  loafing  insouciance  of 
the  Indian,  or  the  graceful  ease  of  the  panther.  He  tore  off  their  choking 
collars  and  binding  coats,  and  invented  a  uniform  which,  though  too  flashy 
and  conspicuous  for  actual  service,  was  very  bright  and  daring  for  holiday 
occasions,  and  left  the  wearer  perfectly  free  to  fight,  strike,  kick,  jump  or 
run." 

On  July  4,  his  zouaves  had  a  public  drill,  an  "overwhelming  success." 
The  young  soldier,  after  his  feast  of  crackers,  wrote,  in  exultation  :  "  Victory, 
and  thank  God  !"  A  little  earlier,  he  accepted  a  challenge  from  a  noted 
fencer,  and  beat  him.  The  Chicago  Tribune,  unfriendly  before,  declared  : 
"  This  company  cannot  be  surpassed  this  side  of  West  Point." 

Then  came  a  wonderful   "  marche  de  triomphe"  on  invitation,  in  the 

summer  of  1860,  to  New  York,  Boston,  Philadelphia  and  Baltimore,  where 

the  picturesque  zouaves  exhibited  their  marvelous  drill. 

He  Escorted  Lincoln  Re  returned  t    m^s  the  man  most  talked  of  in  America. 

to  Washington. 

At  Lincoln's  invitation,  he  went  to  Washington  as  his 

escort.  He  was  there  made  a  lieutenant.  He  had  a  great  scheme,  a  national 
militia  system  ;  his  ideas  were  those  of  a  military  genius,  and  not  of  a 
tactician,  merely.  Then  came  the  war.  He  enlisted  the  New  York  fire- 
men as  "Fire  Zouaves;"  they  were  accepted,  and  were  soon  on  their  way 
to  the  South. 

On  the  evening  of  May  23,  1861,  he  received  his  orders  to  occupy 
Alexandria,  on  the  advance  into  Virginia.  He  worked  almost  all  night 
arranging  regimental  matters,  then  penned  two  letters,  one  to  his  betrothed 
at  Rockford,  and  this,  a  legacy,  to  his  father  and  mother  :  "  It  may  be  my 
lot  to  be  injured  in  some  manner.  Whatever  may  happen,  cherish  the  con- 
solation that  I  was  engaged  in  the  performance  of  a  sacred  duty  ;  and, 
to-night,  thinking  over  the  probabilities  of  the  morrow  and  the  occurrences 


AN  EARLY  MARTYR  OF  THE  CIVIL  WAR.  35g 

of  the  past,  I  am  perfectly  content  to  accept  whatever  my  fortune  may  be, 
confident  that  He  who  noteth  even  the  fall  of  a  sparrow,  will  have  some 
purpose  even  in  the  fate  of  one  like  me.  My  darling  and  ever-loved  parents, 
good-by  ;  God  bless,  protect  and  care  for  you."  These  words  of  a  true  son 
were  the  last  from  his  pen. 

His  death  has  become  historic.  Several  have  described  it.  .Alexandria 
was  occupied  ;  Ellsworth,  with  a  squad  of  zouaves,  hurried  to  seize  the 
telegraph  office.  He  caught  sight  of  a  Confederate  flag 

floating  from  the  Marshall  House.     He  had  often  seen  this        Hl*  Traglc 

Death. 
flag  from  the  Executive  Mansion.     Accompanied  by  four 

soldiers  and  several  civilians,  he  made  his  way  to  the  roof,  and  tore  down 
the  flag ;  coming  down,  he  was  met  on  the  stairs  by  the  hotel-keeper  and 
shot  dead.  His  assassin  perished  at  the  same  moment,  killed  by  one  of  the 
zouaves,  Frank  E.  Brownell.  Searching  for  the  bullet,  they  found  a  golden 
circlet  on  his  bosom,  with  the  motto — Non  nobis^  sed  pro  patria,  "  Not  to 
ourselves,  but  for  our  country." 

To  the  extreme  limits  of  the  country,  the  mournful  news  sped  on 
lightning  wings  ;  sad  hearts  throbbed  everywhere  under  the  starry  flag. 

Ellsworth's  funeral  service  was  held  in  the  east  room  of  the  White 
House;  for  Lincoln  mourned  him  as  a  son. . 

"  Excuse  me,"  said  the  President  to  Senator  Wilson,  "but  I  cannot 
talk."  He  burst  into  tears  and  concealed  his  face  in  his  handkerchief.  He 
walked  up  and  down  the  rooms  for  some  moments,  and  those  near  stepped 
aside  at  such  an  unusual  spectacle  in  such  a  man  and  in  such  a  place.  "  I 
will  make  no  apology,  gentlemen,  for  my  weakness,"  said  Lincoln,  "  but  I 
knew  poor  Ellsworth  well,  and  held  him  in  high  regard.  Just  as  you 
entered  the  room,  Captain  Fox  left  me,  after  giving  me  the  painful  details 
of  Ellsworth's  unfortunate  death.  The'  event  was  so  unexpected,  and  the 
recital  so  touching,  that  it  quite  unnerved  me." 

"  In  the  untimely  loss  of  your  noble  son,"  wrote  the  President  to  Ells- 
worth's parents,  "  our  affliction  is  scarcely  less  than  your  own.     So  much  of 
promised  usefulness  to  one's  country,  and  of  bright  hopes 
for  one's  self  and  friends,  have  rarely  been  so  suddenly         '°  "  * 
darkened    as   in    his  fall.     In  size,  in  years  and  youthful 
appearance,  a  boy  only,  his  power  to  command  men  was  surprisingly  great. 
This  power,  combined  with  a  fine  intellect  and  indomitable  energy,  and  a 
taste  altogether  military,  constituted  in  him,  as  it  seemed  to  me,   the  best 
matured  talent  in  that  department  I  ever  knew ;  and  yet  he  was  singularly 
modest  and  deferential  in  his  social  intercourse.     My  acquaintance  with  him 
began  less  than  two  years  ago;  yet  through  the  latter  half  of  the  intervening 


36o  BROTHER  AND   I. 

period,  it  was  as  intimate  as  the  disparity  of  our  ages  and  my  engrossing 
engagements  would  permit.  To  me,  he  appeared  to  have  no  indulgences 
or  pastimes,  and  I  never  heard  him  utter  an  intemperate  or  profane  word. 
What  was  conclusive  of  his  good  heart,  he  never  forgot  his  parents.  The 
honors  he  labored  for  so  laudably,  and  in  the  sad  end  so  gallantly  gave  his 
life  for,  he  meant  for  them  no  less  than  for  himself. 

"  In  the  hope  that  it  may  be  no  intrusion  upon  the  sacredness  of  your 
sorrow,  I  have  ventured  to  address  this  tribute  to  the  memory  of  my  young 
friend,  and  your  brave  and  early-fallen  child.  May  God  give  you  the  conso- 
lation that  is  beyond  all  earthly  power. 

"  Sincerely  your  friend  in  common  affliction, 

"A.  LINCOLN." 

How  little  did  that  great  and  generous  man  think  that  he,  too,  would 
pass  into  life  immortal  by  the  same  dreadful  rush  of  an  assassin's  bullet, 
which  would  set  a  nation  into  sorrow  and  mourning. 

Lincoln  loved  Ellsworth  as  he  did  his  own  child,  and  it  is  a  remarkable 
coincidence  that  the  former  should  be  one  of  the  first  and  the  other  one  of 
the  last  martyrs  of  the  war. 


BROTHER  AND  I. 

BY  MATTHEW  H.  PETERS. 


WE  were  both  in  the  army,  brother  and  I, 
He  with  Sterling  Price  'neath  the  Stars  and  Bars ; 
I  was  with  Rosecrans,  bearing  on  high 

The  banner  of  Union,  the  Stripes  and  Stars — 
He  with  the  Stars  and  Bars,  I  with  the  Stripes  and  Stars. 

II 

He  marched  north  from  the  Pelican  State ;  . 

With  the  Buckeye  boys  I  marched  to  the  south  ; 
We  met  on  the  field,  and  it  was  our  fate 

To  shed  our  blood  at  the  cannon's  mouth  — 

I  for  the  North  and  he  for  the  South. 


BROTHER  AND  I.  361 

III 
Both  of  us  fought  for  what  we  thought  right, 

But  of  duty,  each  took  a  different  view  ; 
Both  of  us  entered  the  perilous  fight 

And  did  our  duty  as  patriots  do — 

But  he  wore  the  gray  and  I  wore  the  blue. 

IV 

Thus  full  four  years  of  strife,  blood  and  tears 

Passed  wearily  over  the  land  of  our  love ; 
The  North  filled  with  dread,  the  South  full  of  fears, 

The  battle-smoke  filling  the  heavens  above, 

The  clash  of  arms — in  the  land  of  our  love. 

V 

But  the  war  came  to  a  close  at  last,  and 

I  went  home  with  laurels  I'd  won ; 
Brother  went  South  to  the  Pelican  land 

In  the  gloom  of  defeat,  his  cause  undone — 

I  with  my  tattered  flag — flag  he  had  none. 

VI 

I  was  received  by  the  multitude 

With  open  arms,  with  shouts  and  hurrahs ; 
But  my  brother's  lot  was  sad  as  he  stood 

Amid  his  friends  who  mourned  the  lost  cause — 

He  honored  in  silence,  I  with  applause. 

VII 

My  brother,  indeed,  was  as  brave  and  true 

To  the  cause  he  espoused  as  I  to  mine ; 
He  fought  as  Americans  always  do 

When  they  feel  they  must  fight  or  else  resign 

Their  claim  to  honor  and  rights  divine. 

VIII 
He  staked  his  life  for  a  cause  that  went  down 

As  I  staked  mine  for  the  Union  for  aye ; 
But  when  he  surrendered  (in  honor  bound 

To  support  the  old  flag)  he  went  his  way 

True  to  his  honor  and  true  to  this  day. 


A   POSSIBILITY. 

IX 

And  now  that  the  awful  struggle  is  done, 
Let  the  Angel  of  Peace  assert  her  might, 

Cementing  our  hearts  and  making  us  one, 
Forgetting  the  bitterness  of  the  fight 
Where  brother  slew  brother  and  thought  it  right 

X 

Let  the  awful  past  be  buried  from  sight 
As  our  comrades  so  noble,  brave  and  true 

Are  buried  on  fields  where  they  made  the  brave  fight, 
Keeping  their  virtues  alone  in  view — 
The  chivalrous  gray  and  generous  blue. 


A  POSSIBILITY, 
i 

BY  CHARLES  W.  BURPEE. 

THERE  was  no  alternative.     The  bleak  March  winds  of  inhospitable 
New  England — place  of  my  birth — were  at  hand.    As  a  boy  I  had 
laughed  at  them,  but  a  cough  which  I  had   brought  back  from  a 
Southern  swamp,  together  with  a  wound  in  the  chest,  rather  put 
me  at  a  disadvantage  these  days. 

My  doctor  had  been  the  surgeon  of  my  regiment.  When  he  said  a 
thing  he  meant  it ;  he  would  not  know  how  to  give  a  false  alarm.  And  his 
orders  in  this  instance  were  peremptory  ;•  I  could  quit  that  climate  or  I 
could  get  a  new  physician.  Thus  it  was  that  I  fled  from  the  promised 
embrace  of  the  cracked,  half-frozen,  half-mud,  March  soil  of  Massachusetts, 
just  after  a  particularly  changeful  winter.  I  fled  southward.  If  half  dead 
I  must  go,  I  could  at  least  indulge  a  fond  hope  I  had  entertained  when 
stronger  and  revisit  some  of  the  old  familiar  spots  in  Dixie.  There  were  no 
family  ties  to  hold  me — I  was  a  forlorn  old  bachelor.  Perhaps  my  celibacy 
was  my  own  fault ;  it  was  not  my  choice.  Life  once  had  had  its  joys  for 
me.  Like  many  other  joys  we  refer  to  nowadays,  however,  they  were  anti- 
bellum  joys.  Fannie  Raymond  made  my  college  days  truly  halcyon,  until 
a  rival  appeared.  He  was  a  dashing  Virginian  ;  rich,  handsome  and  tal- 
ented. Furthermore,  he  was  in  the  class  ahead  of  me,  and  every  college  man 
will  understand  me  when  I  say  I  did  not  want  to  appear  to  be  getting  in 
his  way. 


A   POSSIBILITY.  363 

When  Sumter  was  first  fired  on,  I  chose  my  course  and  he  chose  his. 
Then  I  had  somewhat  the  advantage,  for  her  father  was  active  in  recruiting 
the  regiment  in  which  I  enlisted,  while  my  rival  went  South  to  draw  his 
sword.  For  the  rest  of  my  life  I  have  never  ceased  to  regret  the  method  in 
which  I  sought  to  improve  that  advantage.  Her  death  intervened  before  the 
end  of  the  strife,  under  circumstances  peculiarly  distressing  to  me,  and  with 
her  perished  my  selfish  ambition,  all  that  I  had  to  live  for. 

It  was,  therefore,  with  small  regard  for  what  the  issue  might  be,  that  I 
yielded  to  the  doctor's  importunities,  and  exchanged  the  land  of  consumption 
for  the  "land  of  cotton."  To  the  end  that  my  enfeebled  constitution  might 
be  built  up,  the  life  was  to  be  of  the  roughest.  Kor  was  it  against  my  own 
desire  that  I  turned  my  back  upon  the  polite  circles  of  the  cities  as  well 
as  upon  the  bustling  society  of  the  Northern  capitalist,  and  cast  my  lot 
among  the  so-called  "white-trash,"  with  a  second  "John  Burleson"  for 
my  guide. 

In  passing  over  a  lonely  mountain,  "  whar  many  a  Yankee  pris'ner  had 
hid,"  we  >ame  one  night  to  a  decent  looking  cabin,  occupied,  my  Burleson 
told  me,  by  the  "  Silent  Man."  After  the  open  manner  of  the  land,  we  at 
once  made  ourselves  the  guests  of  this  singular  personage.  He  was  a  tall, 
well-formed,  manly-appearing  fellow,  clad,  to  be  sure,  in  hunter's  dress,  but 
by  no  means  of  the  most  ungainly  pattern.  A  heavy,  yet  well-trimmed 
beard  concealed  his  features,  though  it  failed  to  cover  a  seam  on  one  cheek. 
Then  there  was  something  about  the  expression  of  his  eyes,  together  with 
a  graceful  carriage,  alien  to  backwoodsmen,  which  betokened  some  former 
acquaintance  with  refinement. 

On  our  entrance,  he  had  thrust  a  book  into  one  of  the  several  chests  in 
the  little  room.  From  the  contents  of  that  chest,  revealed  for  the  moment, 
I  judged  that  some  of  the  others  might  also  be  lined  with  books ;  a  small 
valise  is  capacious  enough  for  the  effects  of  a  common  wood-chopper.  The 
reason  for  his  title  was  soon  apparent.  Host  though  he  was,  he  seldom 
opened  his  lips  ;  but  when  he  did,  he  used  language  unsullied  by  any  dialect. 
At  the  same  time  that  he  was  so  unobtrusive — yea,  so  closely  reserved, 
he  had,  none  the  less,  a  commanding  mien,  which,  while  interesting,  for- 
bade that  one  should  thrust  himself  within  the  sacred  circle  of  his  thoughts 
— an  air  of  regard  for  others'  feelings  which  exacted  respect  for  his. 

After  the  supper  of  coarse  bread  and  bacon,  we  stretched  ourselves  on 
the  ground,  around  a  striking  reminder  of  the  old-time  camp-fires,  and  the 
stereotyped  "  wal "  of  the  guide  was  the  preliminary  of  the  story.  But  I 
perceived  in  his  tone  that  night,  in  place  of  his  usual  devil-may-care  jollity, 
a  touch  of  sadness,  seemingly  alien  to  so  rough  a  nature. 


364  A  POSSIBILITY. 

His  theme  was  a  visit  to  the  North  since  the  end  of  the  war,  when  he 
had  absurdly  thought  to  abandon  his  roving  life  for  one  of  such  sober  and 
lucrative  industry  as  he  had  heard  told  about. 

"  In  the  arsenal  at  Springfield,"  said  he,  "  I  found  a  '  relic '  that  I  had  to 
lay  claim  to.  It  was  this  way — these  are  the  plain  facts.  I  don't  often  rake 
'em  up,  but  'twas  just  twenty  year  ago  to-day  that  I  met  him.  "  He  came 
to  us  a  big-shouldered,  fine-looking  fellow — hands  and  face  as  white's  a 
girl's — jnst  outen  some  college.  Box  and  rastle  he  would  with  any  one  on 
us,  but  he  vva'n't  somehow  right  used  to  us  rough  tins,  I  reckon,  though  a 
brother  o'  his  was  one  o'  our  cap'ns — liked  to  be  readin'  and  alone  consider- 
able. I  stood  next  to  him  in  the  ranks  them  first  days,  though,  and  him  and 
me  seemed  ter  hitch  right  ter  onct.  I  own  he  was  a  leetle  peculiar  'bout 
some  things.  Once  in  a  while  he'd  git 'a  letter,  what  I  called  a  'spe- 
cial,' and  then  we'd  see  no  more  o'  him  for  an  hour  or  so.  We'd  laugh  at 
it  in  any  other  feller,  but  we  couldn't  call  it  senterment  in  Harry — he  had 
so  much  man,  yer  know.  I  allus  thought  of  it  that  there  must  ha'  been 
some  good  reasons  for  his  actions,  and  I  didn't  know  as  how  he  wasn't 
obleeged  to  ask  my  opinion.  I  tell  ye,  boys,  I  liked  him  better'n  a  brother ; 
he  had  the  true  ring — Harry  had." 

The  fact  that  the  guide  was  a  great,  hulking,  indifferent,  good-natured 
sort  of  fellow  made  our  respect  all  the  more  profound  for  the  feelings  which 
were  now  moving  him  so  deeply.  Not  a  sound  save  the  crackling  of  the 
hemlock  to  disturb  his  low  tones,  as  he  continued,  his  two  auditors  gazing 
stolidly  into  the  fire  : 

"  To  put  it  short — for  all  this  is  nothin'  to  you  'uns,  mayhap — one  day 
he  received  a  right  smart  package  of  old  letters  and  a  '  special '  that  he  read 
at  a  glance,  the  last — the  last,  boys,  that  ever  come  to  him.  After  he 
thought  I  was  asleep  that  night,  he  sat  thinkin'  a  long  time.  Then,  finally, 
I  heard  him  mutter,  for  I  couldn't  go  to  sleep  nohow,  I  heard  Harry  mutter : 
*  Bob,  you  owe  this  to  the  side  you  chose  when  the  call  came,  but  had  I — no, 
nothin'  could  have  induced  me.'  With  that  he  got  up  and  paced  back  and 
forth,  crunchin'  the  letter  in  his  fist  and  lookm'  like  a  man  goin'  into  battle. 
Then  he  stopped,  and  claspin'  his  hands  together,  he  said,  sort  o'  more  cheer- 
ful like  :  '  Yes,  old  chum,  you  deserve  it,  too,  but ' — I  could  hear  him  grate 
his  teeth — '  may  God  keep  us  apart !' 

"When  he  next  appeared  in  the  ranks  his  face  looked — wal,  'sullen,' 
the  boys  called  it,  but  I  feared  worse.  I  noticed  on  one  side  o'  his  gun  stock 
was  carved  '  Fannie,'  on  the  other  side  was  '  Yale,  '63,'  that  he  had  put  tliar 
when  he  fust  picked  out  the  gun — he  never  told  us  why,  and  no  one  asked 
him  'bout  that  any  more'n  they  did  'bout  the  '  Fannie.' " 


A  POSSIBILITY.  365 

As  the  speaker  paused,  I  lifted  my  eyes  to  the  face  of  the  backwoods- 
man. I  hardly  knew  him  for  the  same  man.  With  parted  lips  he  had 
drawn  nearer  and  was  staring  at  the  guide.  Already  my  own  thoughts  were 
burning  in  my  brain,  as  I  beheld  the  transformation  in  our  host.  I  would 
have  found  my  tongue,  but  I  was  held  as  under  a  spell.  Meanwhile,  the 
guide,  in  his  turn  oblivious  of  all  around  him,  with  his  lips  was  simply 
telling,  at  intervals,  of  the  life  he  was  living  over  again. 

"  The  next  day,  boys,  was  Sharpsburg.  In  the  thickest  of  the  charge 
at  the  bridge  I  heard  him  shout :  'Great  God!- — Bob  !'  and  I  saw  him  take 
quick  aim  at  a  young  Yank  officer  who  was  makin'  for  our  colors.  Then, 
suddenly,  without  firin',  I  can  swear  it,  without  firm',  he  pushed  forward, 
clubbin'  every  man  aimin'  that  way  and  actin'  like  mad,  and  he  reached  the 
cussed  Yank  jist  as  he  was  fallin'  by  my  ball. — Ahem !  The  smoke  chokes 
me,  that's  all.  Bullets  was  fiyin'  right  thick  in  that  direction,  but  afore  I 
could  think,  we  was  forced  back — and — and — in  the  confusion — wal',  I  los' 
sight  o'  my  boy  in  spite  o'  the  responsibility  I  felt,  and  when  roll  was 
called  " — the  guide's  lips  moved,  but  gave  no  sound.  The  backwoodsman 
was  motionless.  There  was  a  furnace  in  my  breast.  One  word  and — 

But  the  guide's  voice  was  returning  to  him.  "  A  month  later,"  he  con- 
tinued, painfully,  abstractedly,  "  another  letter  come  for  him.  As  I  was  right 
sure  Harry  was  no  more,  and  as  I  couldn't  find  his  brother,  I  thought  as  how 
I  might  open  it,  fer  I  was  sort  er  a  brother.  It  read  somethin'  like  this : 

"  HARRY:  Sad  news.  Bob  at  Antietam  has  made  permanent  papa's  inflexibil'ty.  He's 
even  more  bitter' n  when  he  sent  those  letters  back.  My  old  mal — mal — sickness  [that  wasn't 
jest  the  word;  she  wrote  nice]  has  returned.  I  can  only  hope  to  see  the  leaves  fall." 

The  guide  hesitated  a  moment  and  then  drawing  a  yellow  paper  out  of 
a  rusty  wallet,  said  :  "  Here  ;  I  may  as  well  confess  ;  I've  got  that  letter  right 
here  ;  took  it  out  o'  my  trunk  th'  other  day.  This  's  it: 

"  Leaves  fall.  But  let  me  say,  before  it  is  too  late,  that  that  letter  sent  -with  the  package 
was  not  voluntary  on  my  part.  I  may  be  wronging  others  as  well  as  myself  in  writing  this, 
but  I  have  done  my  best  to  be  open  and  frank  in  everything.  It  was  not  my  fault  if  anyone 
was  deceived,  and  why  should  I  not  take  this,  perhaps  my  last,  opportunity  to  set  right  a 
wrong  that  I  did  against  my  own  better  judgment.  All  I  can  say  is,  don't  blame  Bob.  It  is 
not  his  fault.  It  is  no  one's  fault,  it  is  fate,  and  it  is  best  for  you. 

"  Let  me  hear  from  you  once  more  and  all  will  be  well. 

"  la  heaven  or  on  earth.  FANNIE." 

"  Too  late  for  Harry,  poor  girl,  too  late." 

The  voice  died  away  into  silence.  Our  host's  head  sank  lower  and 
lower  on  his  breast,  Though  my  heart  had  turned  to  lead  I  could  not  take 
my  eyes  from  h'im. 


366  A   POSSIBILITY. 

With  a  deep  sigh,  the  guide  resumed  once  more,  still  unmindful  of  our 
presence  and  both  of  them  unmindful  of  me  :  "  For  a  time,  I'll  allow  as  how 
I  did  think  he  might  ha'  reckoned  he's  killed  the  rival  that  he  s'posed  his 
'  Fannie '  had  chosen,  and  remorse  had  druv  him  away.  But  thar  in  the 
Springfield  arsenal  relic  room  was  that  very  same  musket,  the  letters  on  the 
stock  as  plain  as  the  day  they  was  cut,  '  Fanuie  '  and  '  Yale,  '63  ' — thar  was 
no  mistakin'. 

"  Oh  " — turning  to  me — "  you  mought  call  it  *  romance  o'  the  war '  in 
yer  fine  talk  if  yer  liked — they're  solemn  facts  to  me ;  jest  reckerlect  he 
warn't  none  o'  yer  silly-nillies.  The  bar'l  o'  that  piece  was  bent  and  had  a 
big  stain  rusted  on  it,  but  the  charge  of  powder  was  still  in  it. 

"  They  told  me  as  how  the  '  relic  '  was  brung  in  by  some  Connecticut 
Yank,  but  I  put  the  case  afore  'em  and  arter  I'd  sent  up  my  old  papers,  they 
acknowledged  my  claim,  so  to-day  that  musket — ." 

The  quick  touch  of  our  host's  hand  on  John's  shoulder  brought  him 
back  from  his  trance  with  a  half  groan  and  me  to  my  feet,  the  pent-up  blood 
rushing  through  my  veins.  The  manner  of  the  interruption  was  such  as  I 
had  marked  among  men  when  they  meet  an  old  school-fellow  or — a  com- 
rade ;  but  alas  !  for  my  speedy  conclusions.  Before  the  guide's  mind  could 
return  to  his  surroundings,  the  courtly  backwoodsman  had  said,  in  the 
forbidding  tone  which  made  other  speech  ridiculous,  certainly  useless,  "  I 
beg  pardon,  sir,"  and  was  gone. 

The  guide  stared  in  perplexity  at  the  spot  in  the  darkness  where  our 
host  had  vanished,  and  there  I  left  him — the  avowed  antagonist  of  sentiment 
— as  I  entered  the  cabin.  Tearing  the  margin  from  an  old  newspaper,  I 
wrote  and  left  on  a  chest  these  words : 

HARRY:  I  am  the  "  cursed  Yank  "  of  the  guide's  story.     Life  was  spared  to  me  as  well  as 
you.     Was  it  not  that  I  might  learn  the  depth  of  your  nobility  and  plead  for  your  forgiveness  ? 
ville,  Mass.  BOB. 

When  I  returned  the  guide  still  sat  by  the  fire  and  the  only  reference 
he  ever  made  thereafter,  either  to  the  "  simple  facts "  or  to  the  strange 
interruption,  was  this  one  word,  with  significant  inflection,  as,  obedient  to 
my  orders,  he  started  out  with  me  into  the  night  again — "  W-w-wood- 
chopper  ?" 

And  in  vain  have  I  looked  since  then  for  an  answer  to  my  note — my 
forgiveness  on  earth. 


AN  EPISODE  OF  BULL  RUN  367 

AN  EPISODE  OF  BULL  RUN. 

BY  WILLIAM  H.  HENRY. 

IN  a  portion  of  the  plateau  on  which  was  fought  the  battle  of  Bull  Run, 
there  stands  tl\e  house  now  owned  and  occupied  by  the  aged  Mr.  Hugh 
Henry,  who  has  furnished  the  following  interesting  incidents: 

On  that  memorable  Sabbath — July  21,  1861 — nearly  thirty-eight  years 
ago,  the  Henry  mansion  was  occupied  by  Mrs.  Judith  Henry,  her  daughter 
and  two  sons.  Mrs.  Henry  was  then  eighty-five  years  old  and  bedridden 
from  age  and  infirmity.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Louden  Carter,  Sr.,  and 
was  born  within  a  mile  of  where  she  now  lies  buried.  Her  husband,  Dr. 
Isaac  Henry,  was  the  son  of  Hugh  Henry,  one  of  the  founders  of  the  first 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Philadelphia,  and  a  conspicuous  patriot  in  the 
Revolution.  Dr.  Henry  was  a  surgeon  on  board  the  United  States  frigate 
"  Constellation,"  commanded  by  Commodore  Truxton,  which  captured  the 
French  frigate  "La  Insurgeante,"  and  had  a  conflict  with  "La  Vengeance." 

To  go  back  to  the  scene  of  our  story  on  that  summer  day,  it  was  around 
Mrs.  Henry's  home  that  the  battle  raged  in  all  its  fury.  General  Bee  and 
Colonels  Carter  and  Fischer  were  killed  close  to  her  door  and  inside  her 
yard.  Griffin's.  Battery  was  lost  and  retaken  three  times  in  a  hand-to-hand 
fight.  There  every  gunner  was  killed,  regiment  after  regiment  coming  to 
the  rescue,  determined  never  to  yield  their  guns.  There  Tyler,  Heintzel- 
man  and  Hunter,  with  their  divisions,  battled  from  dawn  to  dusk.  In  the 
intense  heat  of  that  summer-day,  many  who  went  forth  to  fight  were  over- 
come in  half  an  hour  and  compelled  to  fall  back  in  the  shade,  dying  from 
sheer  exhaustion,  their  tongues  hanging  out  and  their  faces  black  as  coal. 
The  bodies  of  the  young  and  brave  lay  thickly  strewn  over  the  lawn,  which 
was  so  covered  with  blood  that  it  resembled  a  crimson  carpet,  while  wounded 
horses  galloped  madly  over  the  bodies  of  the  dead  and  dying,  frantic  with 
pain.  The  bands  were  scattered,  some  attending  to  the  wounded  while 
others  sought  shelter  in  the  thickets  from  the  storm  of  shot  and  shell.  There 
wete  nearly  30,000  engaged  in  this  butchery  all  over  the  Bull  Run  plateau. 

When  Ellen  Henry  and  her  brother  saw  that  their  house  was  becoming 
the  centre  of  the  battlefield  for  the  contending  forces,  they  carried  their 
mother  to  a  ravine  some  distance  from  the  house,  thinking  she  would  be 
safer  there.  As  the  battle  progressed,  however,  and  shot  and  shell  fell 
around  them,  they  took  Mrs.  Henry  back  to  the  house  and  placed  her  in 
bed  again.  The  house  was  soon  transformed  into  a  hospital,  and  Mrs. 


368  AN   EPISODE  OF   BULL;  RUN. 

Henry  died  among  the  wounded  and  dying  soldiers,  killed  by  the  bursting  of 
a  shell  in  her  room.  Her  daughter  never  left  her  bedside,  and  although  the 
house  was  pierced  through  and  through,  both  the  son  and  daughter  miracu- 
lously escaped.  In  the  anxiety  for  their  mother  they  seemed  to  lose  all  fear 
for  their  own  safety. 

That  that  estimable  old  lady,  who  had  spent  almost  a  century  of  a 
peaceful  Christian  life  in  this  secluded  spot,  should  die  in  the  midst  of  such 
a  battle,  wounded  three  times  by  shots  flying  through  her  room,  seems  a 
strange  dispensation  of  Providence.  Yet  even  amidst  the  din  of  battle,  and 
the  groans  of  the  dead  and  dying,  the  aged  sufferer  lived  to  say  that  her 
mind  was  tranquil  and  that  she  died  in  peace,  a  peace  that  the  roar  of  battle 
and  the  horrors  of  death  could  not  disturb. 

The  house,  after  the  battle,  was  pillaged  and  left  in  ruins — the  grounds 
which  had  been  the  scene  of  two  great  battles  had  not  the  vestige  of  a  house 
or  fence  upon  it  at  the  close  of  the  war. 

There  now  stands  upon  the  ground  a  small  frame  house,  in  front  of 
which  are  the  grave  and  monument  of  Mrs.  Henry,  with  the  following 
inscription : 

The  Grave  of  Our  Dear  Mother, 
JUDITH  HENRY, 

Killed  Near  This  Spot  by  the  Explosion  of  a  Shell,   • 

In  Her  Dwelling, 
During  the  Battle  of  July  21,  1861. 

When  Killed, 
She  Was  in  Her  Eighty-Fifth  Year, 

And  Confined  to  Her  Bed  by  , 

The  Infirmities  of  Age. 


MURFREESBORO-A  REVERIE. 

MURFREESBORO— A  REVERIE. 

BY  J.  H.  CARNEY. 

AST  month  it  was  my  privilege  to  visit  scenes  on  which  thirty  years 
ago  the  eyes  of  the  civilized  world  were  fixed. 

Seated  at  midnight  in  an  open  window  at  Murfreesboro,  Ten- 
nessee, memory  brought  back  sad  pictures  of  the  terrible  past  now 
so  happily  changed.  The  soft  Kentucky  breeze,  fragrant  with  the  breath  of 
flowers  and  buds,  was  idly  fluttering  my  window  curtains,  distilling  the  very 
balm  of  rest  and  peace.  Without,  the  moon  was  silvering  roof,  tree  and 
garden,  and  silence  lay  over  this  quaint,  sleeping  city  of  bloody,  tragic  his- 
tory— a  silence  broken  only  by  the  deep,  solemn  tones  of  Christ  Church 
bells  tolling  the  midnight  hour,  just  as  solemnly  as  they  did  throng^  all  the 
dreadful  revelry  of  shot  and  shell,  anguish  and  death,  thirty  years  ago. 

On  those  plains  over  there  beyond  the  city,  now  lying  in  a  dark  and 
silent  shroud,  more  than  one  hundred  thousand  Union  soldiers  were  quietly 
sleeping  that  fatal  December  evening — too  many  of  them  their  last  sleep  on 
earth.  The  flower  of  the  North  was  there,  fresh  from  college  and  forum  and 
counting-house  and  workshop — mothers'  boys,  the  heroes  of  bright-eyed 
sweethearts,  the  papas  of  lisping  curly-headed  tots,  the  heart's  life  of  loving 
wives  in  the  far-off  Northern  homes ;  there  they  were,  wrapped  in  slumber, 
bright  visions  of  home  and  loved  ones  floating  before  them,  and  the  death 
angel,  unseen,  hovering  over  all.  I  think  sadly  this  night  over  my  own 
near  relatives  who  were  lost  in  that  gallant  array. 

Stretched  in  front  of  the  sleeping  army  were  a  number  of  dark,  muzzled 
cannon,  whose  deep  throats  were  on  the  morrow  to  vomit  forth  a  sulphurous 
whirlwind  of  fiery  hail,  and  open  up  one  of  the  bloodiest  tragedies  in  his- 
tory. And  the  heroic  leaders,  what  of  them  ?  Back  there  behind  the  city, 
in  an  old  house,  which  was  afterward  swept  away  in  the  red  tide  of  war, 
were  gathered  in  stern  and  solemn  council  the  men  on  whose  words  a  loyal 
nation  depended  in  this  supreme  and  breathless  hour.  Rosecrans,  in  all  the 
flower  of  his  imperial  manhood,  was  there  ;  the  lion-hearted  Sheridan ;  the 
loved  and  knightly  Buell — heroes  all. 

And  where  are  they  to-night  ?  And  where  are  the  gallant  divisions  they 
led  to  certain  but  sublime  defeat?  This  gentle  midnight  wind  brushes  over 
those  plains  where  they  once  trod,  and  through  those  streets,  where  thou- 
sands of  them  were  massed  in  close  array  waiting  for  the  signal  to  assault ; 
but  the  heroes  are  gone,  and  to  me  this  soft  wind  comes  laden  with  sighs 
-'4 


37o  THE  LAST    VICTORY  OF  THE   LOST  CAUSE. 

and  requiems,  and  a  silent  army  of  spectres  are   massed  in  the  streets  of 
Mnrfreesboro. 

But  what  of  the  other  side  ?  On  the  opposite  banks  of  the  little  river 
slept  that  night  equally  as  many  men  who  wore  the  gray — men  just  as  brave, 
with  hearts  just  as  warm,  with  homes  just  as  loving  as  those  of  their  blue- 
coated  brethren  across  the  river  ;  and  to-morrow  these  men  were  to  grapple 
in  the  struggle  of  death.  And  almost  between  them  slept  the  little  city 
which  was  soon  to  be  desolated  by  the  blind  wrath  of  brothers. 

"  So  slept  Pompeii,  tower  and  hall, 
Ere  the  dread  earthquake  swallowed  all." 

So  slept  until  the  dawn  of  that  day  when  cannon  shots  roared  out  the  agreed 
signal  and  the  dance  to  death  began.  What  followed  history  tells.  But  who 
can  tell  what  sights  and  scenes,  what  sobs  and  groans,  what  terrible  dying 
agonies  took  place  in  those  now  silent  streets  ?  Could  these  old  stone  houses 
talk,  their  record  would  be  so  sad  no  human  being  could  hear  the  story. 
Some  of  the  good  people  tell  me  that  after  the  battle  was  over  the  dead 
soldiers  were  lying  in  the  streets,  on  the  sidewalks  and  in  the  gardens.  One 
lady  told  me  that  when  she  returned  to  her  house  after  the  battle,  four  dead 
Union  soldiers  were  lying  in  the  parlor,  and  that  floor  is  to-day  stained  with 
their  blood.  Years  after  a  party  of  visiting  Grand  Army  men  sought  out 
her  house,  and  recognized  it  as  the  place  to  which  they  had  brought  some 
wounded  comrades  on  that  day  to  die  alone. 


THE  LAST  VICTORY  OF  THE  LOST  CAUSE. 

BY  COLONEL  WILLIAM  H.  STEWART. 

ON  the  night  of  the  sixth  of  April,  1865,  Mahone's  Division,  the  rear 
guard  or  left  wing  of  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia,  slept  on  its 
arms  at  the  High  Bridge,  on  the  Norfolk  and  Western  Railroad, 
near  Farmville,  in  Virginia.     Early  on  the  following  morning  the 
unmounted  officers  and  privates  crossed  over  the  Appomattox  River  on  this 
bridge  and  the  mounted  officers  forded  the  stream.     The  close  pursuit  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  prevented  the  destruction  of  this  great  structure  ;  but 
our  soldiers  succeeded  in  burning  a  barn  near,  to  prevent  the  capture  of  a 
large  quantity  of  tobacco  stored  therein. 

After  a  march  of  a  few  hours,  our  division  was  halted  at  Cumberland 


THE  LAST  VICTORY  OF  THE  LOST   CAUSE.  371 

church  and  formed  in  line  of  battle  across  the  highway.  The  right  was 
connected  with  another  line  of  troops,  that  extended  away  toward  Farmville, 
and  its  left,  entirely  unprotected,  rested  a  few  hundred  yards  in  rear  of  the 
church. 

It  was  my  fortune  to  be  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  division  picket 
line,  which  was  barely  established  before  the  hostile  sharpshooters  were 
seen  advancing  in  front,  and  the  contest  began,  to  continue  hotly  the  live- 
long day.  The  men  in  line  of  battle  had  hurriedly  thrown  up  a  slight  earth- 
work, with  bayonets  and  bare  hands,  which  afforded  scant  protection  from 
the  duel  that  raged  fiercely  between  the  pickets.  The  Rockbridge  Artillery, 
Captain  Archie  Graham,  was  posted  on  the  line  of  battle  near  the  public 
road  and  rendered  valuable  service  throughout  that  long  day.  Robert  E. 
Lee,  Jr.,  son  of  General  Robert  E.  Lee,  our  commander-in-chief,  was  a  pri- 
vate in  this  battery. 

In  the  afternoon  my  pickets  were  forced  back  by  a  strong  column  of 
troops,  whiqh  made  a  dashing  charge  upon'  our  left,  with  the  view  of  turning 
our  flank.  The  galling  fire  from  my  pickets  impeded  the  charge,  and  the 
advance  brigade  halted  for  protection  in  a  deep  ravine  only  a  short  distance 
from  the  flank  of  our  crude  earthworks.  The  pickets  were  quickly  rein- 
forced by  a  regiment  of  Georgians  from  General  "  Tiger  "  Anderson's  brigade, 
and  held  the  enemy  in  check  until  the  gallant  Anderson,  with  the  remainder 
of  his  command,  swept  around  the  left  of  our  position,  struck  the  enemy  in 
flank,  capturing  an  entire  brigade  with  its  colors.  This  magnificent  man- 
oeuvre was  directed  by  the  dashing  Mahone  and  performed  under  his  eyes, 
as  I  can  testify.  It  was  the  quick  conception  of  one  of  the  greatest  mili- 
tary leaders  of  the  war  between  the  sections — of  a  soldier  well  worthy  of 
the  mantle  of  Stonewall  Jackson.  After  the  brilliant  feat  of  the  glorious 
Georgians,  our  picket  line  was  soon  re-established  ;  but  not  without  the 
sacrifice  of  some  brave  men. 

Conspicuous  for  gallantry  was  a  handsome  young  artilleryman,  not  out 
of  his  teens,  who,  when  not  engaged  with  his  cannon,  would  borrow  rifles 
from  the  infantrymen,  stand  up,  while  others  were  protected  by  breastworks, 
and  with  deliberate  aim  fire  at  his  man,  regardless  of  the  continuous  shower 
of  bullets  to  which  he  was  exposed.  Finally  he  was  shot  down,  desperately 
wounded,  and  borne  off  the  field  to  the  residence  of  Mr.  Hogsden,  which 
was  made  a  field  hospital. 

Subsequently  Adjutant  Griffin  F.  Edwards,  a  youth  of  twenty  years,  of 
our  Sixty-first  Virginia  regiment,  infantry,  while  gallantly  rallying  his  men 
to  recover  the  lost  picket  line  in  front  of  his  regiment,  was  also  severely 
wounded.  After  dark  he  was  taken  to  the  field  hospital.  The  yard  was 


372  THE   LAST  VICTORY   OF  THE   LOST  CAUSE. 

strewn  with  the  wounded  and  dead;  the  kitchen,  out-houses,  and  even  the 
stables  v/ere  full  of  bleeding  men.  There  was  one  vacant  place  in  the  parlor 
of  the  old  mansion  where  a  blanket  was  spread  for  Adjutant  Edwards.  The 
soldier  nearest  happened  to  be  the  brave  artillery  boy  who  had  been  shot 
down  while  acting  as  a  voluntary  infantryman,  as  above  stated,  and  he  ap- 
peared to  be  in  the  agonies  of  death.  Although  severely  wounded,  the 
chivalrous  Edwards  ministered  all  in  his  power ;  and  as  he  gave  him  a  drink 
of  water  from  his  canteen,  the  boy  whispered  :  "  My  name  is  Minor."  For 
three  days  these  wounded  sufferers  remained  without  surgeons  or  nurses. 
Then  the  wounded  companions  were  separated  and  unknown  to  each  other, 
until  recently,  after  twenty-nine  years,  Adjutant  Edwards,  now  a  prominent 
lawyer  in  Virginia,  by  accident  ascertained  that  the  comrade  whom  he  be- 
lieved dead  is  living,  in  the  person  of  Launcelot  Minor,  colonel  of  the  Second 
Regiment  of  Infantry,  Arkansas  State  Guards,  and  a  prominent  lawyer  of 
Newport,  in  that  state. 

When  Private  Minor  recovered  consciousness  he  found  a  note  pinned  to 
the  inside  of  his  shirt,  requesting  that  in  case  he  died  some  one  would  give 
him  decent  burial,  and  a  five-dollar  gold  piece  was  enclosed  in  the  note  to 
pay  the  expense.  He  still  has  the  gold  coin  and  wants  to  know  from  whom 
it  came. 

The  shadows  of  evening  found  our  weary  and  starving  soldiers  in  full 
possession  of  the  battlefield  at  Cumberland  Church  and  rejoicing  over  their 
last  victory.  The  only  rations  which  could  be  issued  on  this  retreat  were  a 
few  ears  of  corn  to  each  soldier,  but  these  men  were  of  that  pure  metal 
which  yields  neither  to  danger  nor  hunger. 

Soon  after  dark  the  troops  were  withdrawn  from  this  line  of  battle,  and 
proceeded  on  the  march  toward  Appomattox,  where  Mali  one  returned  the 
silken  trophies,  which  were  so  gallantly  won  at  Cumberland  Church,  to  his 
released  prisoners.  I  was  left  to  cover  the  retreat,  with  orders  to  withdraw 
my  pickets  from  the  line  at  three  o'clock  a.  m.,  and  follow  the  army. 

The  long  hours  of  darkness  and  anxiety  dragged  heavily  along,  while 
ever  watchful  pickets  experienced  the  unpleasant  anticipations  of  being 
killed  or  captured.  On  the  hour  and  the  minute  we  quietly  withdrew  from 
the  field  of  the  last  victory  of  the  lost  cause.  About  eight  o'clock  next 
morning,  the  seventh  of  April,  1865,  we  overtook  the  army,  and  though  des- 
perately tired,  rejoiced  with  a  "  rebel  yell  "  over  our  escape  from  capture,  for 
which  we  received  the  congratulations  of  General  Mahone.  The  following 
night  we  built  our  camp-fires  on  the  brow  of  a  hill  and  rested  on  our  arms 
in  line  of  battle  for  the  last  time.  Before  another  sun  gained  the  meridian, 
our  arms  were  stacked  and  our  battle-flags  furled  forever  on  the  hills  of 
Appomattox. 


AN  ESCAPE  FROM  ANDERSONVIIXE. 

AN  ESCAPE  FROM  ANDERSONVILLR 

BY  FRANCIS  WALLACE. 


HEROES  are  plentiful  after  every  war,  because  it  is  only  in  times  of  danger  that  the 
latent  energies,  stamina  and  sentiment  of  men  are  developed;  no  one  can  even 
judge  himself,  his  courage  no  more  than  his  endurance,  until  subjected  to  such 
supreme  test  as  battle  venture  imposes.   Now,  at  the  close  of  the  Spanish-American 
war,  Uncle  Sam  rejoices  in  his  noble  sons  who  fought  from  merciful  instincts,  with 
compassion  for  the  wrongs  of  Cubans,  but  always  with  impetuosity  and  unquenchable  daring. 
Among  the  many  humble  heroes  of  our  last  war  is  Captain  Francis  Wallace,  of  the  training 
ship  "  New  Hampshire,"  whose  adventures  began  when  he  was  a  boy,  and  whose  life  has  been  a 
succession  of  stirring,  and  generally  daring  events.     His  earliest  danger  was  encountered  in 
running  the  English  blockade  of  the  Baltic  Sea.  carrying  guns  to  Russia,  during  the  Crimean 
war. 

When  the  famous  "foreign  brigade"  marched  to  the  relief  of  Lucknow,  in  the  terrible 
days  of  the  Indian  mutiny,  Captain  Wallace  was  one  of  the  members;  for  two  years  he  was  on 
the  Grinnell  expedition  searching  in  the  arctic  regions  for  Sir  John  Franklin;  he  was  pilot  of 
the  "Monitor"  in  the  famous  battle  with  the  "Merrimac;"  he  was  a  prisoner  in  Andersonville, 
from  which  he  escaped  after  terrible  sufferings  and  perils;  he  was  with  Farragut  and  Dewey  at 
Mobile  bay  and  New  Orleans;  he  fell  from  a  ship  when  many  miles  from 

land  off  the  coast  of  Spain,  and  was  rescued  after  being  in  the  water  Adrift  in  the  Ocean. 
twenty-two  hours.  After  serving  on  the  "  Monitor  "  for  some  time,  Cap- 
tain Wallace  joined  the  fleet  further  south.  While  cruising  on  a  scouting  party  with  Lieutenant 
Gushing — who  destroyed  the  "  Albemarle  " — Captain  Wallace  and  a  coxswain  named  Riley 
were  captured  and  taken  to  the  Confederate  prison  at  Camp  Anderson ville,  where  so  many  of 
the  Union  prisoners  died.  Escape  was  almost  impossible,  but  Captain  Wallace  was  one  of  the 
fortunate  few  who  succeeded  in  crawling  across  the  dead  line,  under  the  kindly  shelter  of  mid- 
night darkness,  and  the  special  protection  of  Providence.  Indeed,  his  life  is  a  singular  illus- 
tration of  the  exceptional  fortune  that  belongs  to  the  few,  which  seems  to  set  at  naught  the 
laws  of  chance,  and  to  furnish  proof  of  the  fatalistic  doctrine  "  what  is  to  be,  will  be."  His 
life  is  not  a  romance,  for  it  has  been  too  invariable  with  hardships  and  hair-breadth  escape,  but 
it  has  been  a  strange  one,  that  has  run  the  whole  gamut  of  human  vicissitudes,  and  survived 
perils  greater  and  more  numerous  than  the  pages  of  fiction  have  ever  recorded.  Some  day,  it 
is  possible,  Captain  Wallace  may  conclude  that  posterity  is  entitled  to  read  the  story  of  his 
truly  marvelous  adventures,  and  will  subject  his  modesty  to  the  task  of  writing  it,  but  to  the 
present  the  following  narrative  is  the  only  one  he  has  ever  been  persuaded  to  write: 

After  I  had  been  at  Andersonville  for  three  weeks,  I  made  up  my 
mind  that  if  I  stayed  there  long  I  would  either  be  shot  by  the  guards  or  die 
from  sickness  and  lack  of  food.  So  I  made  up  my  mind  to  escape.  Riley, 
the  coxswain,  and  two  Union  soldiers  were  in  the  plan  with  me.  For  several 
days  we  saved  up  what  food  we  could — it  wasn't  much — and  one  dark 
night  we  crept  out  to  the  dead  line.  We  had  to  kill  three  sentries 


374  AN   ESCAPE   FROM   ANDERSON VIIJ,E. 

before  reaching  the  stockade.  We  climbed  over  the  stockade  and 
pushed  on  in  the  darkness  until  we  came  to  a  river.  There  we  sepa- 
rated. The  soldiers  wanted  to  push  on  across  the  country,  but  I  knew  we 
would  be  followed  by  bloodhounds,  so  after  they  left  us  Riley  and  I  swam 
across  the  river  and  back  three  times,  walking  up  and  down  the  bank  on 
each  side  in  order  to  throw  the  bloodhounds  off  the  trail.  Then  we  climbed 
to  the  top  of  a  big  live-oak  tree. 

From  our  station  in  the  tree  we  could  see  the  Confederates  leave  the  camp 
in  pursuit.  They  passed  under  the  tree  a  number  of  times,  but  never 
thought  of  looking  for  us  so  near  the  camp.  We  stayed  up  in  that  tree  for 
sixty-three  hours,  with  some  bacon  rinds  and  pieces  of  cornbread  as  our 
only  food.  It  was  very  cold  at  night,  and  we  were  far  from  comfortable,  but 
we  did  not  wish  to  go  down  until  the  pursuit  had  died  away  a  little.  Then 
I  hailed  a  negro  who  was  passing. 

"  Lawd  a'  massa,"  said  he,  when  he  saw  us  coming  down  from  the 
tree.  "  The  soldiers  have  been  looking  everywhere  for  you." 

The  darkey  got  us  an  old  canoe  and  we  made  the  trip  to  the  coast.  We 
traveled  at  night,  and  lay  alongside  of  the  bank  during  the  day.  When  we 
reached  the  seacoast  our  troubles  were  by  no  means  ended.  All  along  the 
coast  were  divisions  of  the  home  guard,  and  they  captured  us. 

Four  miles  off  the  coast,  almost  out  of  sight  of  land,  lay  the  United 
States  gunboat  "  Unadilla."  The  waters  of  the  South  swarm  with  sharks, 
and  no  one  for  an  instant  suspected  that  we  would  dare  to 
"  *  a  ei  swim  to  the  gunboat,  so  their  vigilance  was  somewhat 
relaxed.  But  as  there  was  no  way  of  signaling  the  boat, 
we  decided  to  swim  for  it.  At  midnight  we  slipped  away  from  our  guards 
and  made  our  way  to  the  beach.  There  a  new  danger  awaited  us.  The 
southern  waters  are  very  phosphorescent  at  night,  and  if  a  man  swims 
through  them  he  leaves  a  trail  which  can  be  plainly  seen.  So  Riley  and  I 
crept  out  as  far  as  we  could,  keeping  our  bodies  under  water,  and  making 
.no  splashing.  When  we  reached  our  depth,  we  struck  out  for  the  boat, 
swimming  very  cautiously  until  we  were  well  out  of  gunshot.  It  was  a 
mighty  unpleasant  experience.  Four  miles  is  a  long  swim  for  a  man  in  the 
pink  of  condition,  and  we  had  been  living  on  short  rations  for  a  long  time. 
Then,  too,  we  were  afraid  of  sharks,  and  a  number  of  times  during  the 
swim  I  drew  up  my  legs  suddenly  and  began  to  splash,  thinking  I  had  felt 
a  shark  giving  a  little  nibble  at  my  toes  preparatory  to  a  full  meal. 

At  last  we  got  within  hailing  distance  of  the  "  Unadilla."  I  shouted 
to  her,  but  at  first  they  did  not  pay  any  attention  to  the  hail.  The  Confed- 
erates were  in  the  habit  of  rowing  out  near  the  gunboats  at  night,  towing 


A  GA1XANT  DRENCH.  575 

rude  mines  after  them.  Then  they  would  light  a  slow  match  on  the  mine, 
hail  the  Federal  boats  and  sneak  off.  The  gunboats  would  send  out 
small  boats  to  see  what  the  trouble  was,  and  often  be  caught  by  the  explod- 
ing mine.  A  number  of  men  from  the  "  Unadilla  "  had  been  killed  in  that 
manner,  so  when  I  called  there  was  no  response.  I  called  a  second  and 
third  time,  but  no  answer.  We  were  pretty  well  exhausted  by  this  time,  and 
had  scarcely  strength  enough  to  swim  the  remaining  distance  to  the  gun- 
boat. I  gave  one  more  call.  Standing  at  the  gangway  of  the  "  Unadilla  " 
was  a  man  with  whom  I  had  sailed  on  several  voyages.  He  recognized  my 
voice,  and  we  were  soon  on  board. 


A  GALLANT  DEFENCE. 

BY  LIEUTENANT  R.  H.  JAYNE. 

I    WONDER  whether  my  young  readers,  in  studying  the  accounts  of 
battles  and  of  fighting,  always  gather  the  full  meaning  of  the  struggle. 
You  follow  the  story  of  Manassas,  or  Chickamauga,  or  Gettysburg,  or 
Antietam,  and  are  thrilled  by  the  heroism  displayed  by  both  sides,  but 
do  you  grasp  the  far-reaching  consequences,  the  object  of  the  engagements, 
and  their  effect  upon  the  great  issue  itself? 

Now,  the  battle  of  Gettysburg  was  fought  in  the  summer  of  1863,  an(^ 
was  very  near,  in  point  of  time,  to  the  middle  of  the  war  for  the  Union, 
and  yet  Gettysburg,  it  may  be  said,  decided  the  conflict.  The  Confederates 
came  awfully  near  defeating  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  but  they  failed,  and 
when  they  failed  it  sounded  the  knell  of  the  Southern  Confederacy.  General 
L,ee  and  his  officers  saw  that  ultimate  defeat  was  as  certain  as  the  rising  of 
the  sun  ;  they  were  simply  fighting  henceforward  for  terms.  Neither  army 
captured  the  other,  and  tremendous  engagements  followed  and  lasted  for  the 
better  part  of  two  years,  but  the  sun  of  Southern  independence  was  sinking 
steadily  until  at  Appomattox  it  went  down  forever. 

What  lad  among  you  is  not  familiar  with  Perry's  victory  on  L,ake  Erie, 
in  September,  1813?  Perry  had  never  seen  a  naval  battle  before,  and  for 
the  first  time  in  the  naval  history  of  Great  Britain  she  surrendered  an  entire 
squadron  to  an  enemy.  That  was  a  brilliant  victory  indeed.  The  Ameri- 
cans had  but  55  guns,  while  the  British  had  63  ;  yet  our  loss  was  only  27 
killed  and  96  wounded.  The  British  had  200  killed  and  wounded  and. lost 
600  prisoners.  Commodore  Barclay  went  into  the  battle  with  only  one  arm 


376  A  GALLANT  DEFENCE. 

and  came  out  without  any.  The  Englishmen  fought  gallantly,  which 
makes  the  victory  of  Perry  all  the  more  creditable. 

But  there  was  something  more  than  a  simple  naval  victory.  Had  Perry 
been  defeated,  the  British  General  Proctor  would  have  invaded  Ohio.  If 
Perry  won,  Harrison  meant  to  invade  Canada,  with  every  prospect  of  great 
success. 

But  I  set  out  to  tell  you  about  one  of  the  bravest  exploits  that  marked 
our  last  war  with  Great  Britain. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  year  1813,  General  Harrison  built  Fort  Meigs, 
on  the  right  bank  of  the  Maumee  River.  He  had  with  him  about  twelve 
thousand  men  and  selected  this  point  as  a  convenient  one  for  receiving 
supplies  and  reinforcements  from  Ohio  and  Kentucky,  for  protecting  the 
borders  at  Lake  Erie,  and  for  aiding  in  the  movement  for  the  recapture  of 
Detroit  and  the  invasion  of  Canada. 

In  the  latter  part  of  July,  the  British  General  Proctor  and  the  great 
Shawnee  chieftain,  Tecumseh,  with  5,000  English  and  Indians,  appeared 
before  Fort  Meigs.  Their  wish  was  to  induce  the  garrison  to  come  out  and 
fight  them  in  che  woods,  but  the  Americans,  with  their  inferior  force,  were 
too  wise  to  do  anything  of  that  nature.  Proctor  manoeuvred  and  tried  every 
possible  trick  until  he  saw  his  efforts  were  useless.  Then  he  left  Tecumseh 
with  about  half  the  force  to  keep  up  the  vain  effort,  while  he  set  out  to 
capture  Fort  Stephenson.  on  the  Sandusky,  where  Fremont  now  stands. 
Major  George  Croghan  was  in  command  of  this  fort.  He  was  a  youth  not 
yet  twenty-one  years  old,  and  he  had  as  his  garrison  only  about  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  men. 

When  Proctor  appeared  before  Fort  Stephenson  he  sent  forward  a  flag 
of  truce  with  the  demand  for  surrender.  "  In  case  of  refusal,"  he  added, 
"your  whole  garrison  will  be  tomahawked  by  the  savages  with  me,  for,  as 
you  are  well  aware,  when  their  passions  are  aroused  by  the  loss  of  any  of 
their  number,  their  fury  becomes  irrestrainable." 

The  bearer  of  this  terrifying  message  carried  back  the  refusal  of  Major 
Croghan,  with  the  appendix  :  "As  to  your  threat  of  tomahawking  us  in  case 
of  capture,  I  have  to  say  that  it  cannot  affect  the  question,  since  when  our 
surrender  takes  place  there  will  not  be  left  a  man  to  tomahawk." 

This  kind  of  talk  was  of  the  nature  which  may  be  described  as  mean- 
ing business.  The  British  general  had  more  than  a  dozen  men  to  the 
Americans'  one,  and  he  was  confident  of  speedily  capturing  the  post.  He 
began  with  a  sharp  bombardment,  under  which  the  British  advanced  against 
the  fort.  Major  Croghan  had  only  a  single  cannon,  which  he  crammed  to 
the  muzzle  with  slugs  and  pieces  of  iron.  Indeed,  it  looked  as  if  the  tremen- 


A  GALLANT   DEFENCE.  377 

dous  charge  would  burst  the  piece  at  the  first  fire.  He  masked  it  with  great 
care  and  the  enemy  had  no  suspicion  of  the  true  state  of  affairs.  The 
cannon  was  placed  so  that  its  muzzle  could  rake  the  long  ditch  on  the 
north,  into  which  the  British  and  Indians  were  certain  to  enter. 

It  may  be  doubted  whether  a  single  piece  of  ordnance  of  similar  calibre 
ever  did  more  effective  execution.  At  the  moment  the  ditch  was  swarming 
with  enemies,  rushing  to  the  carnival  of  death,  the  weapon  was  fired. 
Instead  of  bursting,  the  slugs  and  bits  of  iron  were  driven  among  the 
crowding  British  and  Indians,  killing  scores  and  wounding  many  more. 
The  survivors  scattered  in  a  panic. 

This  was  just  what  Major  Croghan  was  hoping  would  take  place,  but 
he  knew  his  assailants  would  be  back  in  a  few  moments  and  not  a  second 
was  to  be  lost.  The  old  cannon  was  hastily  reloaded,  and,  as  before,  filled  to 
overflowing  with  every  sort  of  thing  that  was  likely  to  do  service.  Then  it 
was  quickly  placed  so  as  to  command  the  ditch  again. 

The  Americans  had  barely  time  to  make  ready  for  another  charge  when 
av  second  column  plunged  into  the  ditch  and  was  received  with  the  same 
destructive  discharge  as  before.  Meanwhile,  it  must  not  be  supposed  that 
the  rest  of  the  garrison  was  idle.  They  were  firing  as  fast  as  they  could 
reload  their  weapons  and  inflicting  great  loss  upon  their  assailants. 

Proctor  was  anything  but  pleased  with  his  attempt  upon  the  little  fort 
He  saw  that  it  could  not  be  taken  without  a  siege  and  the  loss  of  many  more 
of  his  men.  He  might  have  attempted  this  had  he  not  believed  that  General 
Harrison  was  somewhere  in  the  neighborhood  and  would  hasten  to  the  relief 
of  the  garrison.  He  therefore  withdrew,  leaving  the  gallant  Major  Croghan 
master  of  the  situation,  and  hero  of  one  of  the  most  gallant  exploits  in  our 
history. 


378  HAVE  YOU  HEAD  OF  OUR  LAND. 

• 

HAVE  YOU  HEARD  OF  OUR  LAND? 

BY  J.  WALLER  HENRY. 


H 


AVE  you  heard  of  that  land,  o'er  the  western  Atlantic, 

That  land  of  delectable  clime  ? 
Of  her  evergreen  hill-tops  and  valleys  romantic, 
And  cloud-crested  mountains  sublime? 


Of  her  cataracts  roaring,  their  bright  waters  pouring 

Through  gorges  of  grandeur  and  gloom, 
O'er  whose  cliffs  of  his  eyry  the  eagle  is  soaring 

And  bathing  in  sunlight  his  plume ! 

Of  her  deep  cleaving  rivers  and  rills,  clear  and  sparkling 

With  nectars  by  Nature  bestowed  ; 
And  her  blue  Northern  lakes,  in  whose  bosoms  are  darkling 

The  haunts  for  a  mermaid's  abode  ! 

Then  her  harbors,  her  gulfs  and  her  oceans,  surrounding 

Her  coasts  on  the  south,  east  and  west ; 
Of  her  woodlands  and  plains  intervening,  abounding 

-In  treasure  which  Nature  hath  blest ! 

Have  you  heard  of  her  caverns  deep  under  her  mountains, 

The  homes  of  grim  spirits  of  old — 
Of  their  cool,  silent  lakelets  and  mystical  fountains, 

And  quarries  of  silver  and  gold  ? 

Then  her  wonderful  harvests  of  plenty  and  pleasure, 

Her  grain  and  her  cotton  and  cane, 
Her  orchards  and  vineyards  with  fruit-laden  treasure, 

And  seasons  which  bring  them  again ! 

Have  they  told  of  her  cities  of  wealth  and  of  splendor, 

Mighty  aids  in  the  progress  of  time — 
Giant  bulwarks  of  strength  from  her  foes  to  defend  her — 

They  rise  in  a  grandeur  sublime  ! 


HAVE  YOU  HEARD  OF  OUR  LAND.  379 

Have  you  heard  that  her  sons  are  her  pillars  of  glory, 

The  strength  and  the  pride  of  the  land — 
As  brave  as  the  heroes  of  legend  and  story, 

And  true  as  the  truest  they  stand ! 

And,  oh !  have  they  told  of  her  beautiful  daughters, 

Whose  hearts  but  the  truest  hath  won  ! 
As  fair  as  the  foam  on  her  magical  waters, 

And  pure  as  the  rays  of  her  sun ! 

Then  of  Justice,  triumphant,  great  king  of  this  nation, 

And  Liberty,  queen,  by  his  side ! 
How  they  rule  in  their  majesty,  wisdom  and  station, 

Co-equals  in  glory  and  pride? 

In  regions  prolific,  o'er  the  eastern  Pacific, 

Where  peace  and  prosperity  dwell, 
Are  the  valleys  of  fruition  and  mountains  terrific, 

Whose  wonders  of  wealth  ever  swell ! 


From  the  gulf  to  the  lakes  this  great  country  extends, 
And  from  ocean  to  ocean  her  boundary  bends; 
On  her  landscapes  of  beauty  the  sun  ever  shines, 
And  her  bright  star  of  destiny  never  declines  ! 
For  sweet  concord  her  greatness  and  grandeur  creates 
By  a  union  of  hopes — and  a  United  States ! 


38o  MARSE   BILLY'S  CLOSE  CALL. 

MARSE  BILLY'S  CLOSE  CALL. 

BY  PAULINE  SHACKLEFORD  COLYAR. 

I  HEARD  Uncle  Mose  singing  as  I  neared  his  cabin,  and  I  paused  upon 
the  threshold  to  listen.     The  sound  was  faint  and  muffled,  coming,  as 
it  did,  from  the  other  side  of  the  mud-daubed  logs,  but  it  brought  to 
mind  many  happy  moments  of  my  childhood.     He  sang  it  to-day  just 
as   he  did  that  morning  so  long  ago,  when  we  were  gathering  chincapins 
together  in  the  back  grove,  and  I  asked  him  why  people  called  a  rabbit   a 
"  Molly  Cotton-tail." 

"  De  raccoon's  tail  am  ringed  all  'roun', 

De  'possum's  tail  am  bar', 
Po*  rabbit  got  no  tail  at  all, 

Nuffin'  but  er  lettle  bunch  o1  ha'r." 

"  The  top  of  the  morning  to  you,  Uncle  Mose,"  I  called  out,  pushing 
open  the  door. 

"  G'long,  Marse  Torm  !  "  he  retorted,  laughing,  while  he  peered  at  me 
from  his  accustomed  corner  by  the  great  wide-mouthed  fireplace  ;  "  dat's  de 
way  you  allus  comes — same  ez  er  gus'  o'  win'." 

I  dropped  upon  the  chair  opposite  him,  and  as  my  eyes  grew  accustomed 
to  the  semi-darkness  within  I  noticed  a  superannuated  trunk,  thickly  studded 
with  brass-headed  nails  and  to  which  a  few  stray  patches  of  hair  still  clung, 
drawn  up  in  front  of  the  old  man.  In  his  lap  he  held  a  gorgeous  flowered 
satin  waistcoat,  a  pair  of  antiquated  mutton-leg  trousers  and  a  yellow  silk 
tie.  In  the  open  trunk  lay  a  claw-hammer  coat  in  affectionate  proximity  to 
a  battered  beaver  hat. 

"  Dis  heah's  whut  I  wants  ter  be  buried  in,"  he  vouchsafed,  as  he  depos- 
ited the  tie  in  a  vacant  niche.  "  Dey's  de  same  clo'es  whar  I  wo'  de  day  I 
driv  ole  Miss  thoo  de  Yankee  lines,  comin'  out  f  'um  Natchez — ole  Miss,  she 
settin'  back  in  de  kerrige,  wid  er  big  hoop-skyert  on,  an'  two  saddles  and 
two  pa'r  boots  fur  de  sojers,  all  hid  under  it." 

He  was  leaning  over  the  trunk  now  and  I  could  not  see  his  face,  but  he 
straightened  himself  suddenly,  and  with  a  burst  of  hilarity  continued  : 

"  De  picket,  he  come  up,  an'  he  sez,  sezee,  '  Nuffin'  contrabang  in  dar?' 
Ole  Miss,  she  sorter  cl'ar  her  th'oat,  an'  she  'low,  sinilin',  '  Naw,  suh,  nuffin' 
'tall.' 

"  Well,  honey,  dat  did  suttinly  flo'  dat  picket,  kaze  ole  Miss  done  fill  de 
big  kerrige  up  lebbel  full,  an'  nary  soul  in  dar  'cep'  her. 


MARSH  BILLY'S  CLOSE  CALL.  381 

"  '  Does  you  know  whut  you  puts  me  in  min'  ob?'  he  ax  ole  Mistiss, 
an'  when  she  ain't  answer,  he  sez,  '  Why,  madaine,  you  puts  me  in  min'  o' 
de  ole  tukkey  hin  whar  dey  sot  on  er  hund'ed  aigs,  an'  tole  her  ter  spread 
herse'f.' 

"  Ole  Miss,  she  riz  her  chin  in  de  a'r,  an'  she  nomernate  ter  me,  '  Dribe 
on,  Moses ! '  an'  I  driv,  too,  chile,  an'  I  ain't  so  much  ez  crack  er  smile, 
aldough  dat  picket  wuz  mos'  bustin'  his  sides." 

For  a  moment  Uncle  Mose  sat  reflectively,  rubbing  the  stubby  growth 
of  beard  upon  his  chin  ;  then,  as  he  smoothed  out  his  satin  waistcoat  and 
laid  it  beside'  the  coat,  he  announced  : 

"But  dat  wuzn't  nowhar  ter  der  time  Marse  Billy  had  his  close  call. 
Yas,  suh,  dat  wuz  de  las'  ye'r  o'  de  wah,  an'  ole  Mose  wuz  straight  ez/er 
arrer,  an'  he  could  sling  on  de  style,  sho'  nuff,  wid  dese  heah  duds  on." 

He  chuckled  softly,  locked  the  trunk,  and  hobbling  to  the  fireplace, 
deposited  the  key  in  a  gourd  which  hung  there. 

"  Miss  Kate,  she  done  it  all,  too,  aldough  she  wuzn't  but  sixteen,"  he 
asserted,  as  he  resumed  his  seat. 

"  Who  was  that  ?     Aunt  Kate  ?     What  did  she  do  ?  "  I  inquired. 

"  Now  you's  crowdin'  me  !  "  warned  Uncle  Mose.  "  Dat's  de  way  you 
allus  does — axin'  all  dat  'dout  ketchin'  yo'  bref." 

Uncle  Mose  and  I  understood  each  other  thoroughly,  so  I  sat  awaiting 
his  pleasure,  while  he  lighted  his  pipe.  He  puffed  at  it  vigorously  for  a  few 
moments  and  then,  crossing  his  legs,  began  : 

"  Yas,  suh,  dat  wuz  yo'  Aunt  Kate,  an'  dis  heah's  whut  I  names  yo' 
Unk  Billy's  close  call.  You  see,  Miss  Kate,  she  allus  mighty  venturesome, 
an'  up  twell  de  time  she  growed  ter  er  young  lady  fokes  joke  her  'bout  bein' 
er  Tormboy.  But  shucks  !  Miss  Kate  ain't  keerin',  an'  when  she  fo'  ye'r  ole 
she  clamb  er  tree  same  ez  er  squirrel,  an'  stick  on  er  hoss  lak  er  cucklebuh. 
Her  an'  Marse  Billy,  beinst  ez  dey  live  on  j'inin'  places,  wuz  playin'  toged- 
der  an'  sweetheartin'  all  dey  libes.  Marse  Billy,  he  rid  ober  arter  he  done 
'listed,  wid  his  sojer  clo'es  on,  an'  his  pa's  sode  clinkin'  'g'in  his  spurs,  to  tell 
we  all  good-bye.  He  jes  er  boy  hisse'f — tryin'  ter  sprout  er  mustache,  but 
dey  'lect  him  capTn  o'  his  comp'ny,  an'  bofe  famblies  wuz  monst'ous  sot  up 
'bout  it.  Dat  ebenin',  whilst  de  new  moon  wuz  shinin',  he  say  he  bleeged 
ter  start.  He  shake  han's  wid  de  niggers,  an'  kiss  all  de  white  fokes  good-bye 
'cep'  Miss  Kate,  an'  him  an'  her,  dey  walk  orf  togedder,  down  todes  de  big 
gate.  I  come  'long  berhine  'em,  leadin'  Flash,  his  walrhoss,  an'  by  de  water 
oak,  on  de  fur  side  o'  de  pawn,  I  see  Miss  Kate  pin  er  long  white  plume  in 
his  hat.  I  sorter  cough  easy,  ter  gib  noticement  ez  I  wuz  dar,  but  Lawd, 
honey,  when  young  fokes  is  co'tin'  dey  'pears  ter  be  deef  an'  bline,  too. 


382  MARSE  BILLY'S   CLOSE   CALL. 

Marse  Billy,  he  tek  her  in  his  arms,  an'  he  kiss  her  saf '  an'  lovin',  an'  she 
tu'n  white  ez  er  ghos',  but  her  big  brown  eyes  dey  shinin'  lak  fire.  '  I  wish 
ter  Gawd  I  could  go  wid  you,  an'  fight  fur  my  country,  too,'  she  tell  him." 

Uncle  Mose  rested  both  hands  upon  his  knees,  a  meditative,  far-away 
look  in  his  eyes. 

"  She  stan'  dar  smilin'  at  him,  and  wavin'  her  leetle  lace  hankcher, 
jes  ez  long  ez  she  kin  see  him,  an'  ain't  nobody  but  me  eber  know  how  she 
fling  herse'f  on  de  groun'  arter  he  done  went,  an'  lay  dar  sobbin'  an'  cryin' 
wuss  'an  she  done  de  day  Marse  Billy  kilt  her  pet  rabbit  wid  his  blow-gun. 

"  Well,  suh,  dem  wuz  turrible  times  !  Ole  Miss  she  look  lak  she  'mos' 
'stracted  ev'y  time  she  read  in  de  papers  'bout  de  big  battles  whar  dey  fit, 
kase  she  cyant  git  no  news  o'  yo'  pa.  You  see,  he  wuz  up  in  Ferginny,  an' 
wunst  he  come  home  wid  his  arm  broke,  an'  den  ag'in  dey  shoot  him  in  de 
leg,  but  scusin'  er  ball  clippin'  off  Marse  Billy's  white  plume,  he  writ  Miss 
Kate  ez  how  he  ain't  got  er  scratch.  So  one  ebenin'  whilst  Ole  Miss  and 
Miss  Kate  wuz  settin'  on  de  big  front  po'ch  knittin'  socks  an'  scrapin'  lint 
fur  desojers,  a  scout  rid  up  ter  de  steps.  His  hoss  wuz  blowin',  an'  foamy 
wid  sweat,  he  done  come  so  farst,  an'  ez  he  lif  his  cap,  he  say,  sorter  chok- 
in',  lak  he  cyant  ketch  his  bref,  '  Miss  Kate,  try  ter  be  brave.  I'se  fetchin' 
you  Billy's  love,  an'  he  want  me  ter  tell  you  he's  gwinter  die  wid  yo'  name 
on  his  lips.  Billy's  been  captured  inside  de  Yankee  lines,  an'  termorrer 
dey's  ter  hang  him  in  Natchez  fer  er  spy.'  " 

Uncle  Mose's  pipe  had  gone  out,  so  he  laid  it  on  the  floor  beside  him, 
and  sat  there  rubbing  his  gnarled  hands. 

"  Dat  young  sojer  an'  Ole  Miss,  dey  breck  down  an'  'mos'  cry  dey  eyes 
out,  but  aldoiigh  Miss  Kate's  lips  wuz  p'iut'ly  trimblin',  she  ain't  drapt 
nary  tear. 

"  Dat's  de  time  Miss  Kate  show  her  raisin',"  he  remarked,  after  a  while, 
with  a  touch  of  pride  in  his  tone.  "  When  trouble  gits  rank,  de  quality 
allus  comes  up  ter  de  scratch,  an'  dar  ain't  no  scrub  stock  'bout  we  all. 

"  '  Unk  Mose,'  Miss  Kate  say,  quiet  lak, '  before'  sun-down  dis  ebenin'  you 
mus'  git  us  ter  Natchez.'  m 

"  Twuz  two  o'clock  den,  an'  my  pa'r  ole  mules  (whar  wuz  all  de  sojers 
done  lef  us)  dey  stove  up  an'  po',  an'  fo'teen  miles  ter  go.  But  I  'spon'  ter 
her,  '  Yes'm,  we'll  be  dar  on  time.'  So  dreckly  dey  wuz  all  ready — Ole  Miss, 
an'  Miss  Sue,  an'  Miss  Kate,  an'  aldough  de  harness  ain't  n tiffin  but  cotton 
ropes,  an'  de  collars  made  outen  shucks,  I  put  on  dis  heah  weskit  wid  de 
flowers  lookin'  ez  fresh  as  dem  in  Ole  Miss'  flower  gyarden,  an'  I  cock  my 
stovepipe  hat  on  de  side  o'  my  haid,  an'  I  driv  thoo  dem  streets  'mos'  big  ez 
old  Marster  hisse'f. 


MARSH  BILLY'S   CLOSE  CALL-  383 

"  All  de  ladies,  'cep  Miss  Kate,  got  dey  faces  kivered  up  wid  veils  when 
we  stop  at  de  prison,  an'  er  rared  back,  good-lookin'  young  feller,  wid  er 
gun  on  his  shoulder,  keep  er  trom'pin'  up  an'  down  befo'  de  do'.  Ef  eber 
you  heerd  er  voice  soun'  sweet  an'  pleadin'  twuz  Miss  Kate  when  she  talkin' 
wid  dat  gyard.  He  p'int'ly  spresserfy  ter  her  dat  she  cyant  go  in.  But 
whut  'pendence  is  dar  in  er  man  when  er  'oman  gits  holt  o'  him  ? 

"  '  Oh !  suh,  hab  pity  on  us  !'  she  tell  him.  '  Let  us  see  him  jes  five  minutes 
ter  say  our  las'  goodbye.  Mebbe  you  done  lef  somebody  up  home  whar 
loves  you  lak  I  does  him.' 

"  Well,  suh,  'twuzn't  no  wonder  he  say  ( yas,'  kase  ef  he  hed  ben  er 
gineral  stid  o'  er  gyard,  Miss  Kate  could  er  'suaded  him.  He  melt  wuss  'an 
snow  when  de  sun  shine  on  it,  an'  when  dey  all  come  back  ag'in,  an'  Miss 
Kate,  she  hoi'  out  her  leetle  han'  ter  him,  an'  ax  Gawd  ter  bless  him,  whilst 
de  res  's  clambin'  in  de  kerrige,  he  wuz  cryin'  'mos'  bad  ez  we  all. 

"  Den  I  sez  ter  myse'f,  is  dis  heah  nigger  gittin'  bline  ?  I  mek  sho  dar 
wuz  jes  three  whut  come  wid  me,  an'  now  when  we  start  orf  dar  wuz  fo\ 

"  Yas,  chile,  yo'  Aunt  Kate  done  it — she  dress  Mars  Billy  up  lak  er 
lady,  wid  er  veil  ober  his  face,  an'  she  smile  on  dat  gyard  twell  she  'mos' 
'tice  his  heart  outen  his  jacket.  He  'pear  ter  be  er  nice  young  feller,  any- 
way, an'  I  'low  de  good  Lawd  ain't  sot  it  down  ag'in  him,  kase  he  furgit  ter 
count  dat  day. 

"  Marse  Billy,  he  j'ined  his  company  on  de  road  home,  an'  you  bet  dar 
wuzn't  no  hangin'  in  Natchez  nex'  mawnin',  but  Gawd  knows  Marse  Billy 
suttinly  hed  er  monsfous  close  call" 


^84  WAR  SKETCHES. 

WAR  SKETCHES. 

BY  GENERAL  HORATIO  C.  KING. 

BEFO'  de  Wah  "  I  was  a  student  at  Dickinson  College,  and  among  my 
classmates  was  a  handsome  Southerner,  Jack  C.,  from  Winchester, 
Va.,  who  became  and  remained  until  his  death,  a  few  years  ago, 
my  close  and  intimate  friend.     We  exchanged  visits  in  vacations, 
and  I  thus  formed  the  acquaintance  of  a  most  lovely  Southern  family,  typical 
in  its  hospitality  and  the  warm  welcome  always  extended  their  friend,  a 
Yankee  of  Yankees  ;  for  I  was  born  in  Maine. 

At  graduation  our  paths  divided,  and  a  little  more  than  two  years  after 
was  precipitated  the  terrible  Civil  War.  Jack's  household  comprised  his 
father  and  mother,  who  were  of  middle  age,  one  brother,  a  young  clergyman, 
and  a  sister,  Miss  Joe,  who  had  been  reared  in  refinement,  and  was  scantily 
equipped  to  battle  with  the  sevetg  privations  and  domestic  services  which 
the  fortunes  of  war  thrust  upon  her,  but  for  which,  like  thousands  of  her 
Southern  sisters,  she  found  herself  more  than  a  match.  Although  primarily 
opposed  to  the  secession  of  Virginia,  loyalty  to  the  State  carried  this  family, 
heart  and  soul,  with  the  Confederacy,  and  as  Winchester  became  almost  at 
the  outset  debatable  ground,  Mr.  C.  accepted  a  public  office  in  Richmond, 
while  the  elder  brother  was  appointed  a  chaplain,  and  Jack  entered  the  ranks 
of  the  Confederate  army.  I  had  been  in  the  Union  service  a  little  over  two 
years  with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  when  I  received  an  order  to  report  for 
duty  to  General  Sheridan,  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  with  headquarters  at 
Cedar  Creek,  about  twenty  miles  beyond  Winchester.  Martinsburg  was  the 
base  of  supplies  for  the  army,  the  railroad  from  Harper's  Ferry  to  Winchester 
having  been  dismantled,  and  rendered  unserviceable ;  and  I  reported  at  Martins- 
burg  to  take  advantage  of  the  first  supply  train,  under  the 

escort  of  a  brigade,  made  necessary  .by  the  presence,  not  to 
Moseby's  Guerrillas.  '  / 

say  omnipresence,  of  Moseby's  guerrillas,  which  regularly 
harassed  the  flanks,  and  on  several  occasions  stampeded  and  carried  off  a 
portion  of  the  train.  It  was  late  in  October,  and  the  nights  were  already 
pretty  cold,  when  I  reached  Martinsburg.  I  found  the  town  filled  with 
wounded  and  stragglers,  and  visitors  from  the  North  in  search  of  husbands 
and  brothers  killed  or  mutilated.  At  the  depot,  which  I  reached  in  the  dusk 
of  the  evening,  I  found  the  platform  completely  filled  with  rude  pine  coffins, 
containing  the  killed,  and  awaiting  shipment.  To  avoid  the  chilling  air, 
for  a  stiff  breeze  was  blowing,  my  clerk,  orderly  and  myself  tucked 


WAR  SKETCHES.  385 

ourselves  away  in  a  sheltered  nook  formed  by  the  piled-up  coffins,  and  wrapped 
in  our  warm  blankets,  with  boots  for  pillows,  we  enjoyed,  as  well  as  we 
might,  some  of  the  comforts  of  a  soldier's  experience.  The  next  day  the 
supply  train,  two  or  three  miles  long,  started  for  the  front.  Moseby's  scouts 
kept  us  continually  in  sight,  but  the  strength  of  our  escort  made  any  attack 
unwise,  and  none  was  attempted. 

It  was  about  dark  when  we  had  covered  the  twenty  miles  between 
Martinsburg  and  Winchester.  Although  I  had  not  heard  from  my  old 
friends  directly  since  the  war  began,  and  having  some  misgivings  of  the 
reception  which  might  be  accorded  one  of  the  "  subjugators  of  their  people," 
I  nevertheless  went  at  once  to  the  hospitable  residence  on  the  outsk  irts  of  the 
little  old-fashioned  town  on  the  site  classically  denominated  "  Potato  Hill." 
I  had  discarded  the  handsome  dark-blue  overcoat,  the  regulation  dress  for 
officers,  as  well  as  the  dark-blue  pants,  and  substituted  therefor  the  more 
practical  corduroy  breeches  and  the  blue  overcoat  issued  to  the  rank  and  file, 
and  thus  caparisoned  ascended  the  steps  and  rang  the  bell.  The  door  was 
opened  by  the  entire  household,  which  comprised  at  that  time  Mrs.  C.,  the 
daughter,  and  a  bright  little  colored  girl  of  about  twelve,  the  whites  of  whose 
eyes  fairly  gleamed  before  the  appalling  presence  of  a  Yankee  soldier.  For 
a  moment  not  a  word  was  spoken.  Mrs.  C.  at  length  broke  the  silence  by 
demanding  the  object  of  my  visit,  to  which  I  made  no 
reply.  At  length,  impelled  by  their  embarrassment  and  A  He^,rt,y  Southcrn 
scarcely-concealed  alarm,  my  face  broke  into  a  smile, 
and,  with  a  cry  of  surprise,  Joe  exclaimed  :  "  Why,  Rashe  King,  you  old. 
Yankee,  go  away  from  here !"  at  the  same  time  grasping  me  by  the. 
hand  and  drawing  me  into  the  house.  The  transition  from  anxious  fear 
to  unconcealed  relief  was  immediate.  The  alarm  was  the  sequence  of 
a  recent  search  of  the  house  by  a  provost-guard  for  a  Confederate  flag, 
which,  it  had  been  reported,  was  concealed  on  the  premises,  and  always 
appeared  at  the  window  when  the  fortunes  of  war  returned  Winchester 
into  Confederate  hands.  I  may  as  well  mention  in  passing,  that  the  flag 
was  never  captured,  and  I  strongly  suspected  that  when  a  raid  was  antic- 
ipated, it  was  worn  as  an  under  garment  by  Miss  Joe,  or  was  snugly 
tucked  away  somewhere  in  the  region  of  as  warm  a  heart  as  ever  beat 
in  woman's  bosom  for  the  Southern  cause.  After  a  pleasant  evening, 
I  returned  to  the  depot  headquarters,  and  the  next  day  rode  out  to  Cedar 
Creek,  reported  to  gallant  little  Phil,  and,  after  two  weeks  on  his  staff,  was 
assigned,  at  my  own  and  Merritt's  request,  to  duty  on  the  staff  of  General 
Wesley  Merritt,  then  commanding  the  First  Cavalry  Division.  Our  head- 
quarters were  in  an  old  stone  house,  around  which  the  battle  had  raged 
25 


386  WAR   SKETCHES. 

most  fiercely,  and  the  fields  for  miles  were  strewn  with  dead  horses,  broken 
gun-carriages  and  caissons,  and  the  usual  debris  of  a  severe  engagement.  In  a 
few  weeks,  the  railroad  to  Harper's  Ferry  having  been  repaired,  the  army 
moved  near  to  Winchester,  our  headquarters  being  established  three  miles 
from  town,  in  a  brick  house,  on  the  Front  Royal  road.  The  house  was 
thoroughly  ventilated,  through  the  agency  of  an  unfriendly  shell,  which  re- 
moved enough  of  the  front  wall  to  drive  a  horse  and  cart  through.  Here  we 
remained  until  February,  though  not  inactively,  making  a  raid  into  London 
county,  and  two  or  three  reconnoissances,  merely  to  stave  off  ennui,  and  stir 
up  tl  e  animals.  As  the  Su^j  iy  of  9,000  men  and  four-footed  animals  re- 
quired me  to  make  almost  daily  visits  to  Winchester,  I  found  it  both  con- 
venient and  highly  agreeable  to  have  a  room  at  the  C.'s, 
Some  Delicious  ,  .  .,  n  .  ,  r  M  _ 

Southern  Cooking  atl(* !t  servec*  a^so  as  a  protection  to  the  family  from  strag- 
glers and  night  marauders,  who  gave  a  wide  birth  to. any 
house  where  they  knew  officers  to  be  quartered.  Colonel  Harry  Crawford, 
our  commissary,  shared  this  hospitality,  and  a  large  part  of  our  rations 
and  many  sutler's  supplies  reappeared  in  fancy  and  most  palatable 
dishes  on  their  table.  Miss  Joe,  by  stress  of  necessity,  had  become  an 
experienced  cook,  and  with  some  fine  old  sherry  left  in  the  wine  cellar,  could 
transform  mutton  into  the  finest  venison  stew  I  ever  tasted.  With  equal 
magic,  army  hard-tack,  and  the  harder  the  better,  became  a  maccaroni  au 
gratin,  such  as  Delmonico's  chef  might  have  envied.  By  common  consent, 
the  topic  uppermost  everywhere  else,  the  war,  was  carefully  avoided,  after 
two  or  three  discussions  had  bathed  mother  and  daughter  in  tears.  As  I 
have  intimated,  Miss  Joe  was  intense  to  bitterness  against  the  invaders  as  a 
body,  but  as  individuals,  some  of  us  at  least  had  redeeming  characteristics. 
Highly  gifted  in  the  finer  lady  accomplishments,  she  was  especially  skilled 
in  embroidering,  and  had  worked  many  Confederate  national  and  war  flags 
in  handkerchief  corners,  one  of  which  she  presented  to  me.  It  was  my 
patriotic  desire  to  have  her  embroider  what  she  pleasantly  characterized  as 
the  "hated  Yankee  rag,"  and  at  this  point  the  siege  began.  I  approached 
her  by  parallels  of  unparalled  importunities,  but  without  fazing  a  muscle;  I 
serenaded  her  with  the  Fifth  Cavalry  band,  to  no  purpose  ;  I  bombarded  her 
with  canned  oysters  and  all  the  delicacies  a  sutler's  tent  affords  ;  I  made  all 
sorts  of  protestations  short  of  a  promise  of  marriage  (which  she  would 
doubtless  have  rejected),  but  without  avail.  Finally,  a  brief  leave  of  absence 
brought  a  suspension  of  hostilities,  and  I  left  for  New  York,  to  bring  on  my 
heavier  guns.  I  have  no  doubt  it  was  an  inspiration  which  led  me  to  Stew- 
art's and  the  purchase  of  a  dozen  lace  handkerchiefs,  such  as  the  Confederacy 
had  not  seen  since  the  blockade.  Gold  was  250,  and  these  were  a  luxury  even 


WAR  SKETCHES.  387 

in  the  New  York  market.  But  soldiers  were  notoriously  profligate, 
and  money  was  no  object  to  men  who  were  always  sure  of  a  funeral  for  noth- 
ing. Armed  with  these  attractive  missiles,  I  returned  to 

'    -  ,        .  ,      .    ,  .    .  .,  ,.  Emblems  of  the 

the  front  and   watched    with    intense  interest  the  unhrn-  B|ue  and  the  G 

bering  of  these  new  guns.  The  effect  was  magical ;  the 
female  heart  rose  superior  to  political  sentiment,  and  there  was  an  uncondi- 
tional surrender.  In  a  few  days  I  bore  away  the  Union  and  Confederate  flags 
worked  in  loving  embrace  by  her  fair  hands,  and  if  I  was  not  rewarded  by 
a  brevet,  with  my  name  spelled  incorrectly  in  the  papers,  I  felt,  neverthe- 
less, the  glow  of  satisfaction  which  always  follows  a  righteous  success. 

It  would  make  a  very  pretty  and  romantic  ending  to  the  narrative,  by 
stating  that  I  afterward  married  the  young  lady.  Although  I  do  not  belong 
to  George  Washington  Post,  I  cannot  tell  a  lie.  She  is  still  unmarried. 

It  is  pleasant,  also,  in  this  connection,  to  mention  another  little  amenity, 
which  shows  that  war  does  not  always  blot  out  the  better  characteristics  of 
human  nature.  At  the  edge  of  this  town  was  a  handsome  cemetery,  which 
became  the  last  resting-place  of  many  a  gallant  Confederate. 

The  vandals  of  both  armies,  who  had  more  regard  for  their  own  comfort 
than  respect  for  the  dead,  had  made  sad  havoc  of  the  cemetery  fence,  and 
when  our  division  arrived,  there  was  scarcely  a  post  left  to  mark  the  boun- 
daries of  the  sacred  enclosure.  General  Merritt,  with  the  tenderness  which 
characterizes  all  brave  men,  determined  that  the  rights  of  the  dead,  as  well 
as  of  the  living,  should  be  respected,  and  directed  the  writer  to  proceed, 
under  an  escort,  to  Berryville  (the  haunt  of  White's  and  Moseby's  guerrillas), 
and  confiscate  (steal  is  what  the  Berryville  people  called  it)  enough  rails  to 
fence  in  the  neglected  cemetery.  Merritt  had  none  of  the  business  reserve 
of  the  late  Colonel  Jim  Fisk,  who  refused  a  subscription  to  erect  a  fence 
around  a  graveyard  in  Vermont  on  the  ground  that  those  who  were  out 
didn't  want  to  get  in,  and  those  who  were  in  couldn't  get  out  if  they  wanted 
to.  So  we  trotted  off  one  fine  morning  with  a  company  of  cavalry  and  an 
extended  train  of  wagons  on  this  of-fence-ive  and  de-fence-ive  expedition. 
That  the  expedition  was  a  success  may  be  inferred  from  the  following  report 
to  headquarters  of  the  quartermaster  in  charge  : 

HEADQUARTERS  FIRST  CAVALRY  DIVISION, 
ARMY  OF  THE  SHENANDOAH,  IN  THE  FIELD,  February  77,  1865. 

MAJOR  A.  E.  DANA,  A.  A.  G. 

SIR: — I  have  the  honor  to  report  that  in  compliance  with  orders,  I  yesterday  took  charge 
of  fifty  wagons  and  an  escort  of  two  hundred  men  and  proceeded  to  Grimes'  farm,  about  six 
miles  beyond  Berryville,  for  the  purpose  of  securing  rails  to  make  a  railing  around  the  Win- 
chester cemetery.  The  column  marched  in  good  order,  without  incident,  until  we  found  old 


388  WAR  SKETCHES. 

Grimes,  who,  by  ancient  tradition,  is  supposed  to  be  dead.  I  have  taken  great  pains  to  inform 
Mrs.  G.  that  tradition,  as  usual,  is  at  fault,  and  that  the  elder  G.  is  anxious  to  fold  her  to  his 
withered  embrace.  While  on  G.'s  farm,  a  shot  was  fired  at  the  party  from  a  neighboring  barn. 
The  barn  fort  was  charged,  and  the  prisoner  captured.  A  drum-head  court-martial  was  imme- 
diately ordered,  and  the  prisoner  put  on  trial  for  his  life.  During  the  trial  (which  was  sure  to 
convict  the  bushwhacker),  the  president  of  the  court,  a  man  of  weight,  fell  through  the  drum, 
and  the  proceedings  were  then  declared  null  aud  void,  it  being  impossible  to  hold  a  drum-head 
court-martial  when  the  head  of  the  drum  was  out. 

At  this  moment  a  sergeant  reported  the  enemy,  2,000  strong,  in  line  of  battle,  with  drawn 
sabres,  ready  to  charge.  My  first  impulse— as  I  rather  prefer  the  credit  system— was  to  inform 
them  to  charge  and  be  d— d;  but  on  second  thought  I  rode  boldly  to  the  summit  of  a  hill  and 
made  a  Napoleonic  telescopic  reconnoissance  of  the  enemy  through  a  hole  in  the  crown  of  my 
hat.  The  sergeant,  having  reported  artillery,  I  devoted  my  chief  energies  to  that.  The 
telescope  developed  numerous  blue  coats  and  several  wagons.  I  returned  to  Grimes'  field, 
and  placed  the  teams  in  line  of  battle,  the  right  resting  on  Mrs.  Grimes'  dairy  and  the  left  on 
the  smoke-house  in  the  rear— a  strategic  formation  of  the  line  required  by  the  conformation 
of  the  ground.  The  enemy  proved  to  be  a  detail  from  the  Third  Cavalry  Division,  and  did 
not  attack.  My  instructions  to  the  teamsters,  mules  and  other  employes  to  charge  for  the 
nearest  pike,  in  case  of  an  attack,  were  not  carried. out.  The  expedition  returned  in  safety  to 
the  Winchester  cemetery,  where  it  was  received  by  a  deputation  of  defunct  Winchesterian 
skeletons,  who  rattled  out  their  thanks  and  complained  of  being  very  dry.  This  last  com- 
plaint is  respectfully  referred  to  the  dispensers  of  commissary  "  benzine." 

LIST  OF  CASUALTIES. 
Six  officers  badly  bored.  9 
250  men  exceedingly  hungry. 
Ten  mules  badly  demoralized. 

The  movement  being  strictly  of-fence-ive,  its  success  is  worthy  of  the  highest  commenda- 
tion. The  quartermaster  in  charge  agrees  to  receive  his  reward  in  the  shape  of  a  brigadier- 
general's  commission. 

REX, 
Captain,  Quartermaster  in  Charge. 

The  suggestion  for  the  promotion  was  not  honored,  and  "  Rex  "  was 
left  to  wait  for  a  majority,  which  came  soon  after. 

And  this  reminds  me  of  a  story  told  of  Captain  Isaac  B.  Parker,  now 
deceased,  a  brave  and  gallant  officer,  who  was  a  favorite  aide  on  the  staff  of 
General  Hancock.  Parker  was  in  Philadelphia,  on  leave 
Kenaga's  Tavern  °^  absence,  about  the  time  when  brevets  were  being  handed 
around  rather  freely,  and  with  a  few  friends,  was  enjoy- 
ing an  evening  at  a  suburban  resort,  called  Kenaga's  Tavern.  Their  fes- 
tivities were  interrupted  by  a  party  of  roughs,  who,  in  view  of  Ike's  uniform, 
began  to  speak  slightingly  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  to  abuse  the 
government  for  carrying  on  the  war.  Ike,  who  was  not  over  five  feet  six, 
bore  things  patiently  for  a  few  minutes,  but  his  indignation  got  the  better 
of  his  discretion,  and,  selecting  the  rowdy  nearest  him,  a  man  about  twice 
his  weight,  planted  a  well-directed  blow  between  the  eyes  and  laid  him 
sprawling  on  the  floor.  This  gun  was  the  signal  for  a  general  engagement 


WAR  SKETCHES.  389 

along  the  whole  line,  and  in  scarcely  more  time  than  it  has  taken  me  to 
write  it,  the  roughs  were  cleaned  out,  and  the  "  Second  Corps  "  held  the  field. 

On  his  return  to  the  front,  Ike  found  that  the  fame  of  his  adventure 
had  preceded  him.  So,  with  great  gravity,  he  put  in  a  formal  application 
for  brevet,  for  gallantry  in  the  engagement  at  Kenaga's  Tavern.  Although 
he  did  receive  several  brevets  for  conspicuous  bravery,  the  name  of  Kenaga's 
I  Tavern  does  not  appear  upon  the  official  parchments  of  the  War  Depart- 
Jment. 

I  think  it  not  inappropriate  to  close  this  sketch  by  referring  to  a  very 
happy  reunion  of  the  Blue  and  the  Gray,  in  which  I  participated.  On  the 
4th  of  July,  1883,  the  cadets  of  the  Virginia  Military  Institute,  at  Lexing- 
ton, visited  New  York,  for  the  purpose,  among  other  things,  of  returning 
the  flag  of  the  i55th  Regiment  of  New  York  Volunteers,  which  had  been 
captured  by  cadets,  in  the  war,  when  they  were  suddenly  called  into  the 
Confederate  service.  Colonel  Mott  Hall,  who  assisted  in  the  capture,  was 
present.  The  corps  was  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Scott  Schip.  Presi- 
dent Arthur  had  previously  welcomed  the  young  men  at  the  Fifth  Avenue 
Hotel,  and  presented  to  them  their  diplomas.  In  a  brief  address,  he 
expressed  the  hope  that  whenever  the  Union  flag  was  assailed  or  in  danger, 
the  Virginia  soldiers  would  be  on  hand  to  defend  it.  The  sentiment  was 
received  with  the  old-time  Confederate  yell,  that  made  the  welkin  ring.  At 
the  hall,  many  distinguished  Union  soldiers  were  present,  and  the  formal 
return  of  the  captured  flag  was  made  through  Mayor  Edson,  in  the  Gov- 
ernor's room,  from  whose  walls  the  life-like  representations  of  many  men 
noted  in  civil  and  military  life  looked  benignantly  down.  The  scene  was 
an  impressive  one.  The  boys,  in  their  handsome  suits  of  gray,  stood  at 
attention.  Colonel  Portlock,  holding  the  flag,  said  : 

"  The  standard-bearer,  who  is  with  us  to-day,  is  a  New  Yorker,  and  I  con- 
gratulate ourselves  that  we  are  here  on  this  loyth  birthday  of  the  country, 
and  that  we  stand  shoulder  to  shoulder,  the  same  as  your  Hamilton  stood 
shoulder  to  shoulder  with  our  Washington.  But  we  pre- 

,    ,,  .     „  ,  ,.    ,-  Fraternization  and 

sent  this  flag,  not  so  much  as  a  memento  of  the  war,  as  a 

Loyal  Reunion. 

testimonial  to  the  men  who  fought  as  their  honest   con- 
victions directed  them.      Twenty  years  ago,  many  of  us  stood  face  to  face 
in  deadly  strife.     To-day,  we  stand  as  brothers,  proud  of  our  country.     And 
over  the  graves  of  the  dead  on  both  sides  of  the  conflict  should  be  inscribed 
the  epitaph  which  begins  with  the  line : 

"  '  They  did  their  duty  as  they  saw  it.'  " 

This  sentiment  was  received  with  loud  cheers,  and  cries  of  "hear, 
hear."  Colonel  Mott  Hall  then  said  that  it  was  a  matter  of  fortune  that  his 


390  WHEN  YOU  WORE   THE   YANKEE  BLUE. 

men  had  been  enabled  to  capture  the  flag,  as  in  the  darkness  the  Union 
forces  sallied  forth  from  their  stockade,  and  thus  exposed  were  easily  cap- 
tured by  superior  forces.  He  was  assured  of  the  good  feeling  between  the 
North  and  the  South,  however  much  politicians  might  attempt  to  misrepre- 
sent facts.  "  The  war  was  inevitable,"  continued  Colonel  Hall,  "  because 
our  hot  blood  had  to  be  cooled  in  that  way,  but  I  am  glad  that  it  came  in 
my  day,  and  not  to  my  children  and  their  children. 

"  I  believe  Providence  was  in  the  war,  and  if  He  had  decided  the  vic- 
tory in  our  favor,  I  think  He  would  have  made  a  great  mistake." 

There  were  more  loud  cheers  and  yells  to  mark  the  approval  of  this 
utterance. 

Mayor  Edson  replied  that  it  gave  him  great  pleasure,  on  behalf  of  the 
city  of  New  York,  to  welcome  the  visitors  on  their  graceful  errand  of 
peace.  "  All  differences,"  said  he,  "  are  now  buried  deep  and  forever,  and 
this  occasion  has  a  far  deeper  significance  in  that  regard  than  the  mere 
restoration  of  that  which  was  lost  by  the  misfortune  of  battle.  We  will 
preserve  this  flag  as  an  emblem  of  peace  and  good-will,  and  in  the  name  of 
the  people  we  welcome  you  to  this  metropolis." 

The  war  ended  at  Appomattox.  We  are  one  people,  with  one  common 
destiny.  "  L,et  us  have  peace." 


WHEN  YOU  WORE  THE  YANKEE  BLUE. 
BY  JOHN  TALMAN. 

(Written  for  a  Banquet  of  Veterans.) 


TIME  to  pity  is  a  stranger.     To  withstand  his  soulless  force, 
.  Might  of  men  and  gods  avails  not ;  for  with  grimmest  unremorse 
Onward  bears  he  men  and  nations,  as  on  towering  ocean  waves, 
To  the  ultimatum  Nature  only  speaks  from  open  graves. 
But  he  is  the  surest  healer.     Bleeding  wounds  to-day  there  are 
Of  whose  traces  shall  the  morrow  only  know  the  painless  scar ; 
And  one  little  generation  hath  sufficed  almost  to  hide 
The  abrasions  from  disunion  and  the  blade  of  fratricide — 
Bridged  the  deep,  broad,  hideous  chasms  the  distracted  country  knew 
In  its  days  of  sorest  travail,  when  you  wore  the  Yankee  blue. 


WHEN  YOU  WORE  THE  YANKEE  BUTE.  39 1 

II 

Cherished  names  and  works  of  daring  in  "  the  times  that  try  men's  souls  " 

Speak  with  mute  yet  moving  eloquence  from  out  your  muster-rolls, 

And  the  memories  of  your  faith  and  heroism  half  divine 

Do  not  wait  upon  the  lifting  of  a  feeble  voice  like  mine ; 

But  as  one  among  the  millions  of  the  proud  and  grateful  sons 

In  whose  veins,  prized  like  a  fetish,  blood  of  martyred  patriots  runs ; 

Fain  would  I  partake  in  spirit  of  each  pleasing  social  rite — 

Touch  some  chords  of  recollection  at  your  merry  board  to-night ; 

Thankful  to  the  phantom  thousands  who  to  rest  preceded  you — 

Thankful  to  the  dead  and  living  who  have  worn  the  Yankee. blue. 

Ill 

From  the  sluggish,  bracken  current  of  Potomac's  languid  stream 

To  the  shambles  of  Manassas  with  destruction  all  agleam, 

With  what  rigid  resolution  and  strong  purposes  you  strode, 

Though  its  seeds  the  murderous  genius  of  annihilation  sowed ! 

Never  did  you  pause  or  falter,  though  the  smoke  of  Malvern  Hill, 

Antietam's  field,  the  carnage  of  the  awful  Chancellorsville, 

With  disaster  supplemented  and  with  newer  horrors  crowned 

The  mad  rout  of  Pittsburg  Landing  and  the  blood  of  Shiloh's  ground. 

History  never  can  emblazon  with  the  meed  of  praises  due, 

The  sublime,  immortal  courage  that  was  garbed  in  Yankee  blue. 

IV 

O,  the  clashing,  crushing  tumult  that  its  furious  presence  wreaked 

On  the  air  when  mortars  thundered  and  the  shells  like  harpies  shrieked  ; 

When  the  chain-shot  brought  its  summons  and  the  war  god's  foaming  wratn, 

Hurtling  fire  and  blood  in  tempests,  cleaved  a  wide,  hadean  path  1 

In  what  hot,  death-dealing  madness  mingled  chargers,  friends  and  foes 

While  the  musketry  was  rattling  and  the  sabres  fell  and  rose ! 

Detonating  cannon  drowning  with  their  roar  curses  and  groans — 

Ambulance  and  caisson  threading  causeways  made  of  human  bones — 

Veterans !  rise  they  not,  in  shadow,  to  your  retrospective  view, 

Now,  as  when  you  first  beheld  them,  when  you  wore  the  Yankee  blue  ? 

V 

O'er  the  rifle-pit  the  ivy  long  hath  clambered  since  the  day 
That  from  Gettysburg's  red  summit  fell  the  tide  of  death  away ; 
Since  the  victor's  noblest  laurel  was  embossed  upon  our  shield 
By  the  compact  of  reunion  at  Appomattox  sealed. 


392  THE   CHARGE  OF   PICKETT'S  DIVISION. 

There's  new  meaning  in  the  eagle's  sweeping  flight  from  crag  to  crag 

For  again  the  Southron  loyally  upbears  Columbia's  flag ; 

With  his  gaze  upon  a  future  full  of  largest  promise  set, 

Not  for  him  to  hunt  old  graveyards  of  resentment  and  regret, 

You  to-night  extend  erst  wearers  of  the  gray  the  brave  man's  due — 

Comradeship  among  the  soldiers  who  have  worn  the  Yankee  blue. 

VI 

Time  shall  see  the  world  divested  of  contention's  livid  stain — 

Progress'  never-folding  pinions  loftier  mountain  peaks  shall  gain  ; 

But  while  oceans  heave,  suns  rise  and  set  and  Freedom  claims  her  own, 

Gratitude  the  flaming  bivouacs  of  your  perils  will  enthrone. 

Dear  and  glorious  old  campaigners,  with  your  bosoms  ever  warmed 

By  the  consciousness  inspiring  of  all  duty  well  performed  ! 

Be  the  wine  that  brims  your  beakers  like  ambrosial  streams  that  flowed 

For  the  godhood  of  Olympus,  and  undying  youth  bestowed  ! 

Three  times  three,  then,  to  your  honored  heads  ;  they  wear  the  gray,  'tis  true, 

But  your  hearts  this  hour,  as  ever,  wear  the  same  old  Yankee  blue  ! 


THE  CHARGE  OF  PICKETT'S  DIVISION. 

BY  JAMES  H.  WALKER, 

(Formerly  First  Sergeant,  Company  K,  Ninth  Virginia  Infantry,  Armistead's  Brigade. ) 

ON  THE  first  of  July,  1863,  Pickett's  Division  of  Virginians  was  the 
rearguard  of  the  "  Army  of  Northern  Virginia,"  and  at  night  was 
bivouacked  near  Chambersburg,  Pa.,  about  twenty  miles  from 
Gettysburg. 

The  division  was  composed  of  three  brigades,  commanded  by  Armistead, 
Garnett,  and  Kemper,  the  first  two  being  formerly  United  States  Army 
officers.  General  George  E.  Pickett  was  also^at  one  time  an  officer  in  the 
United  States  Army,  and  had  gained  much  notoriety  previous  to  the  Civil 
War,  as  the  officer  commanding  the  United  States  troops  which  were  ordered 
to  take  possession  of  the  Island  of  San  Juan,  when  a  dispute  occurred  with 
Great  Britain  as  to  who  had  the  right  to  occupy  it.  As  I  have  said  before, 
Pickett's  Division  was  lying  at  Chambersburg  on  the  night  of  the  first  of 
July,  and  had  no  intimation  that  they  would  be  called  on  to  take  part  in  the 
battle  which  was  going  on  at  Gettysburg. 


THE   CHARGE   OF   PICKETT'S   DIVISION.  393 

The  men  were  quietly  sleeping  after  a  most  fatiguing  march,  and  many, 
no  doubt,  dreaming  of  their  homes  along  the  Atlantic  and  Chesapeake,  and 
others  of  their  mountains  and  beautiful  valleys,  and  in 


their  dreams,   perhaps,  felt  the  warm  kiss  of   their  loved  *  '^        ' 


ones.     All  at   once  the  long  roll  was  sounded,  and  these 

visions  vanished  as  they  awoke  and  realized  that  grim  war  was  still  rampant. 

The  division  was  ordered,  about  i  a.  m.,  to  "  pack  up,"  and  while  doing 
so,  it  was  rumored  that  in  the  engagement  at  Gettysburg,  on  the  first,  Hood's 
Division  of  Texans,  which  we  considered  one  of  the  very  best  in  our  army, 
and,  in  fact,  a  crack  division,  had  been  repulsed  in  charging  Cemetery- 
Heights,  with  frightful  loss,  and  that  it  was  the  intention  of  General  Lee  to 
hurl  his  Virginia  division  against  this  terrible  position  as  a  forlorn  hope. 

The  division  moved  about  3  a.  m.,  July  2,  and  marched  as  rapidly  as 
circumstances  would  permit,  but  as  the  roads  were  blocked  with  wagons, 
artillery  and  the  wounded  of  both  armies,  it  frequently  had  to  leave  them, 
and  enter  the  woods  or  fields  of  ripening  grain.  It  arrived  within  two  miles 
of  Gettysburg,  about  2  p.  m.,  and  immediately  went  into  camp,  and  as  we 
were  doing  so,  a  courier  rode  up  and  informed  us  that  Mclyaw's  Division  of 
Georgians  had  just  made  a  charge  on  Cemetery  Heights,  and  had  been 
repulsed  with  terrible  loss,  as  Hood's  Texans  had  been  the  day  previous. 
The  above  divisions,  with  Pickett's,  formed  Longstreet's  corps  d'  armee,  and 
it  seemed  that  each  of  his  divisions  was  to  have  the  honor  of  making  the 
assault,  but  so  far  the  skill  of  Hancock  and  the  bravery  of  his  men  had 
frustrated  each  attempt.  We  were  now  informed  that  General  Pickett  had 
orders  to  hurl  his  division  against  this  position  next  day,  unless  the  artillery 
should  succeed  in  dislodging  them.  The  following  day  we  took  position  in 
battle,  with  the  command  to  lie  down,  as  in  a  short  time  one  of  the  most 
terrible  artillery  duels  would  be  fought  which  had  ever  been  witnessed. 
Generat  L,ee  had  massed  in  front  of  the  division  about  120  pieces  of  artillery, 
and  they  were  to  open  on  Cemetery  Heights,  and  endeavor,  if  possible,  to 
dislodge  the  enemy.  This  cannonading  commenced  about  noon,  and  as  our 
guns  opened,  the  enemy  replied  by  a  fire  from  about  one  hundred  pieces. 
If  mortal  has  ever  witnessed  a  more  terrific  fire  than  oc- 

curred about  noon  on  the  third  of  July,  1863,  then  history   The  most  Terrific 

J,    V        1°'.  Artillery  Duel  of 

has  not  recorded  it.    The  earth  was  shaken  by  its  roar,  such          the  War 

as  probably  the  younger  Pliny  mentioned  in  his  descrip- 
tion of  the  eruption  of    Vesuvius,  when  Pompeii  and  Herculaneum  were 
destroyed.     The  sky  was  black  with    smoke,    and  livid    with    the    flame 
belching  from  the  mouths  of  these  horrible  engines  of  war.     Under  all  of  this 
terrific    cannonading,  Pickett's  Division  was   lying   awaiting   it   to   cease. 


394  THE   CHARGE   OF   PICKETT'S   DIVISION. 

Round  shot  whistled  through  the  trees,  cutting  limbs  from  them 
which  fell  upou  us.  Shells  burst  over  our  heads,  and  scattering  fell  among 
us,  dealing  destruction  within  our  ranks.  Our  artillery,  which  was 
about  one  hundred  yards  in  front,  were  firing  almost  with  the  rapidity  of 
musketry,  and  the  enemy,  who  seemed  to  have  a  most  deadly  aim,  threw 
shells  amongst  us,  apparently  at  every  shot  blowing  up  caissons,  and  killing 
horses  and  men.  When  the  shells  flew  over  the  artillery,  they  almost  invari- 
ably exploded  within  the  ranks  of  the  division,  which  seemed  doomed  to 
destruction  without  even  the  opportunity  of  firing  a  gun.  Whilst  this 
shelling  was  going  on,  General  Armistead,  our  brigade  commander,  passed 
in  front  of  his  command  and  informed  his  men  that  unless  the  artillery 
succeeded  in  dislodging  the  enemy  from  Cemetery  Hill,  we  were  to  charge 
the  position. 

The  division  knew  the  thing  was  most  desperate,  for  they  had  been  told 
that  two  attempts  had  already  been  made,  one  by  McLaw's  Division,  and  the 
other  by  Hood's,  and  both  had  been  repulsed  with  heavy  loss — although  the 
men  knew  this,  apparently  there  was  no  dread  upon  the  face  of  any  man.  They 
seemed  determined  to  win  for  Virginia  and  the  Confederate  States  a  name 
which  would  be  handed  down  to  posterity  in,  honor,  and  which  would  be 
spoken  of  with  pride,  by  not  only  Virginia,  but  by  all  America.  And  they 
succeeded,  for  not  only  have  their  foes  accorded  them  the 

Stillness  that  Pre-  crown  of  iaurel  but  England  herself  spoke  words  of  praise 
ceded  a  Storm  of 

Death.  *or  these  men  whose  Anglo-Saxon  blood  nerved  them  to 

such  a  brave  deed.  But  to  return  to  the  scene  of  action. 
The  artillery,  after  throwing  round-shot  and  shell  into  each  other  for  an 
hour,  suddenly  ceased  on  the  part  of  the  Confederates.  The  enemy  also 
discontinued  firing,  and  the  stillness  of  death  succeeded  a  noise  and  tumult 
which  must  have  been  equal  to  that  with  wViieh  the  gods  assailed  the  Titans. 
The  Virginians  were  soon  made  aware  that  the  artillery  had  not  suc- 
ceeded in  driving  the  enemy  from  their  strong,  and  seemingly  impregnable 
position,  for  word  came  down  the  line  from  the  right  that  they  were  to 
charge.  All  were  on  their  feet  in  a  moment,  and  ready ;  not  a  sound  was 
heard ;  not  a  shot  was  fired  from  any  part  of  the  field.  The  command 
"forward"  was  given,  and  in  five  minutes  they  had  left  the  woods  which 
had  concealed  them  during  the  artillery  fight  As  we  emerged  from  cover 
and  passed  through  our  artillery,  which  was  immediately  on  the  verge  of 
the  woods,  the  latter  raised  their  hats  »nd  cheered  us  on  our  way.  As  soon 
as  the  artillery  on  Cemetery  Hill  discovered  the  line  advancing,  they  opened 
fire.  They  were,  when  first  seen,  about  a  mile  immediately  in  front,  with 
.nothing  between  us  but  two  fences. 


THE   CHARGE  OF  PICKETT'S  DIVISION.  395 

The  division  advanced  steadily,  in  quick  time.  A  band  on  the  extreme 
right  playing  in  the. same  manner  that  it  would  had  the  division  been 
passing  in  review,  they  continued  to  march  forward  and  the  band  continued 
to  play. 

The  shells  flew  far  over  us  at  first,  but  this  lasted  but  a  moment.  They 
soon  obtained  the  range,  and  then  Death  commenced  his  work  of  destruc- 
tion. All  of  the  division  had  been  quite  near  him  before,  but  on  this  occa- 
sion he  seemed  to  be  pressing  on  them  so  slowly  and  so  steadily  and  closely 
it  was  enough  to  make  the  bravest  quail  under  his  ghastly  appearance.  But 
they  went  on  without  flinching ;  now  they  have  passed  half  the  distance  up 
the  hill,  and  the  enemy  pour  grape  and  canister  into  the  ranks,  causing 
such  wide  gaps  the  division  has  to  be  halted  and  dressed  to  the  right ; 
obliquing  and  filling  up  their  gaps,  they  continue  to  push  forward.  The 
infantry  now  pour  their  fire  into  them  from  behind  a  stone  wall,  and  their 
ranks  begin  to  melt  away ;  men  are  falling  in  every  direction ;  but  still  they 
press  on  with  the  wild  yell  peculiar  t~>  Confederate  soldiers.  They  do  not 
hear  the  band  now,  it  is  drowned  in  the  fearful  uproar !  Round  shot,  shell, 
canister  and  rifle  balls  are  poured  into  them  at  close  range 
from  the  front,  and  a  battery  on  Round  Top  rakes  the 

\  to  the  Death  ! 

line  from  the  right.  General  Armistead  is  in  front  of  his 
brigade  with  his  hat  on  his  sword  and  holding  it  up  as  a  guide.  As  they 
were  within  two  hundred  yards  of  the  batteries  a  yell  was  given,  and  a  dash 
made  for  them.  The  artillerymen  left  their  pieces,  and  the  whole  line  of 
thirty-two  guns  was  carried  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet,  General  Armi- 
stead falling  dead — shot  with  his  hand  on  one  of  the  guns.  They  did  all  that 
was  expected,  and  this  charge  will  be  remembered  by  future  Americans 
as  the  English  remember  that  of  the  L/ight  Brigade,  and  the  French  that 
of  the  Old  Guard. 


396  SOUTHERN  BOYS  AT  WEST  POINT. 

SOUTHERN  BOYS  AT  WEST  POINT. 

BY  THOMAS  W.  HALL,  WEST  POINT,  '87. 

WHEN  I  was  requested  to  write  a  short  article  on  the  relations 
between  the  Southern  and  the  Northern  boys  at  West  Point, 
during  the  four  years  of  hard  labor  I  spent  at  the  great  military 
academy,  I  had  to  frankly  acknowledge  that  I  knew  nothing 
about  such  relations.     There  was  nothing  in  my  memory  to  distinguish  the 
boys  of  the  South  from  the  North.     My  classmates  were  all  classmates  and 
friends  to  me,  whether  they  came  from  Maine  or  Texas,  Illinois  or  Florida, 
and,  to  save  me,  I  cannot  to-day  make  more  than  a  guess  as  to  the  birthplace 
of  more  than  a  corporal's  guard  of  our  unusually  large  class — which  was,  I 
think,  the  third  largest  in  the  history  of  the  Academy. 

The  very  idea  that  I  knew  so  little  about  the  geographical  relations  of 

my  classmates,  however,  gave  me  an  idea  for  a  story  that  is  not  unimportant, 

when  one  is  considering  the  relations  of  the  reconstructed 

No  Sectional  Feeling  States         j      Northern  States.     It  convinced  me  at  once 

at  West  Point. 

that  there  could   have  been  no  sectional   feeling  at  the 

Academy  on  the  Hudson  while  I  was  there ;  and  I  feel  perfectly  warranted 
in  saying  that  there  never  has  been  any  since  the  war. 

Perhaps  the  first  notice  I  ever  took  of  a  geographical  distinction  between 
army  officers  was  at  a  meeting  of  the  younger  officers,  or  "  youngsters,"  of 
the  Tenth  United  States  Cavalry  at  Fort  Grant,  Arizona,  to  celebrate  the 
Christmas  of  1887.  I  had  but  recently  joined,  and  was  the  lowest  ranking 
lieutenant  in  the  regiment.  I  was  a  "shave  tail"  of  the  "shave  tails,"  to 
use  an  army  expression,  and  was  commonly  called  "kid"  by  the  fellows 
who  happened  to  rank  me  by  a  day,  a  month,  or  a  year  in  the  grade  of 
second  lieutenant,  and  was  treated  with  fatherly  care  by  the  fellows  who 
wore  the  single  bars  of  a  first  lieutenant. 

It  was  "  Polly  "  Clark  who  called  my  attention  to  the  fact  that  I  was 
the  only  lieutenant  in  the  regiment,  graduated  from  West  Point,  who  had 

been  born  north  of  Mason  and  Dixon's  line.  The  amount 
An  American  Officer  .  r  t  .  ,  ,. 

in  the  German  'lin  ^ia^  was  P°ked  at  me  on  this  account  was  enormous. 

Army.  I  sincerely  hope  that  the  Hussar  officers  of  the  regiment 

Clark  served  with  recently,  in  the  German  army,  gave  him 
the  same  sort  of  joking  for  being  the  only  American  officer  who  ever  held  a 
commission  in  a  foreign  army. 


SOUTHERN  BOYS  AT  WEST  POINT.  397 

And  yet,  I  do  not  believe  that  any  man  in  the  world  could  have  told 
that  all  those  dashing  young  lieutenants  were  from  the  South.  They  were 
all  of  the  customary  West  Point  mould,  and  I  might  say  right  here,  that 
after  three  or  four  years  of  West  Point  discipline,  cadets  are  as  alike  as  two 
peas,  except,  perhaps,  as  regards  height  and  weight  and  the  color  of  the 
hair.  I  remember  that  we  all  took  the  same  oath  of  allegiance,  and  went 
through  the  same  hard  mill  of  hazing,  and  the  more  disagreeable  mill  of 
study,  and  came  out  lieutenants,  with  painfully  new  clothes — and  immense 
debit  accounts  with  New  York  tailors  and  furnishers. 

On  looking  over  the  West  Point  register  of  1887,  I  find  that  there  was 
a  great  preponderance  of  Northern  boys  over  Southern  boys  in  our  class. 
I  think  this  was  due  more  to  the  superior  public  and  other  schools  of  the 
North  than  to  anything  else,  although  the  Southern  boys  in  the  class  seem 
to  have  held  more  than  their  own  in  studies.  The  difficulty  of  the  Southern 
boy  seems  to  be  to  pass  the  first  examination.  After  that,  apparently,  he  is 
all  right.  As  I  see  it  now,  never  having  examined  into  the  matter  before, 
the  Southern  boys  and  the  Northern  -were  about  evenly  balanced  physically. 
The  tallest  man  in  our  class  was  from  Illinois ;  the  next  in  height  was  from 
Virginia ;  the  largest  man  was  from  Missouri,  and  the  next  from  Ohio. 
With  the  exception  of  one  or  two,  I  remember  but  very  few  traces  of  the 
Southern  peculiarities  of  speech,  and  I  can  say  the  same  about  the  down- 
East  Yankees  of  the  class.  In  fact,  the  Western  boy  seemed  to  predominate, 
and  to  be  more  of  a  noticeable  entity  than  'either  the  Southern  or  the 
Northern  boy. 

The  president  of  our  class,  and  one  of  the  most  popular  men  in  the 
Academy  during  my  time,  was  a  Southern  boy,  and  the  son  of  a  Southern 
soldier.  He  is  a  cavalryman  now,  in  one  of  Uncle  Sam's 

most  celebrated  regiments  of  horse,  and'he  was  captured,          Northern  Girl 

1  .  ,    Captures  a  Southern 

at  least  his   heart  was,  not  very  long   ago,  by  a  grand-  Soldier. 

daughter  of  old  Ben  Wade,  just  as  the  same  thing  is 
presented  to  us  every  day  in  the  war  dramas  of  the  stage.  There  was 
never  any  sectional  feeling  in  our  class,  and  I  am  sure  that  the  same 
thing  can  be  said  of  all  others.  The  man  from  Ohio  roomed  with  the 
man  from  Georgia,  and  if  they  happened  to  quarrel  concerning  whose 
turn  it  was  to  bring  a  bucket  of  water  from  the  hydrant  in  the  area  of  the 
barracks  to  their  room,  it  was  quite  likely  that  a  man  from  Louisiana  would 
second  the  man  from  Ohio  in  the  ensuing  fight,  and  that  a  man  fiom  Ver- 
mont would  attend  to  such  delicate  duties  for  the  Georgian.  In  fact  I  have 
seen  just  such  a  state  of  affairs,  now  that  I  have  come  to  look  matters  up. 


&  SOUTHERN  BOYS  AT  WEST  POINT. 

Our  songs  used  to  be  evenly  divided  between  Southern  and  Northern 
compositions.  I  do  not  think  it  was  intentional,  either.  In  fact,  I  do  not 
believe  any  of  the  boys  thought  anything  about  the  old  sectional  differences 
of  their  fathers.  No  one  will  suppose  for  a  moment  that  the  memory  of 
the  war  will  make  the  Southern  officer  in  the  army  of  to-day  any  less  useful 
than  another.  The  record  of  the  young  Southerners  has  been,  to  use  a 
popular  phrase,  "  as  fine  as  silk." 

In  this  connection,  I  recall  sitting  before  a  log  fire  in  my  quarters,  at 
Fort  Apache,  entertaining  my  guest  for  a  few  days,  a  young  lieutenant  of 
infantry,  who  was  the  son  of  a  famous  Confederate  cavalry  general.  How 
the  subject  came  up  I  do  not  remember,  but  I  do  know  that  he  told  me  a 
circumstance  connected  with  the  reception  of  his  commission  in  the  United 
States  Army  that  impressed  itself  very  deeply  on  my  mind. 

"  When  I  received  my  commission,"  he  said,  "  I  hardly  knew  how  to 
approach  my  father.  He  knew  that  I  was  about  to  become  a  commissioned 
officer  of  the  United  States  Army,  and  I  knew  that  he  was  very  proud  of  my 
record.  Yet  he  had  never  said  a  word  about  my  military  ambitions.  I  left 
the  commission  in  a  conspicuous  place  on  his  library  table,  and  went  out  on 
the  veranda  for  a  smoke.  In  a  little  while,  my  father  followed  me  there. 
He  walked  up  to  me,  and  took  my  hand  in  his.  {  Bob,'  he  said — there  were 
tears  in  his  eyes — (  promise  me  one  thing.'  I  asked  him  what  it  was. 
*  Never  go  back  on  the  old  flag,'  he  answered.  I  pressed  his  hand  in  assent, 
and  we  have  never  spoken  of  the  matter  since.  But  I 

Vu,1*1.1*?  *cq"est  know  that  he  thinks  my  life  a  direct  continuation  of  his 
of  His  Soldier  Boy. 

own." 

It  is  a  trifle  off  the  subject,  but  I  think  the  greatest  and  most  valuable 
feature  of  the  regular  army  of  the  United  States  of  America  is  the  union  in 
it — and  harmonious  union,  too — of  Southern  impetuosity  and  Northern  grit. 
It  is  like  a  union  of  Great  Britain  .and  France.  These  have  been  the  two 
greatest  fighting  nations  of  the  world,  and  whenever  they  combined  they 
were  invincible.  At  any  rate,  we  may  be  sure  that  whether  or  not  we  have 
the  money  or  the  guns,  in  any  future  war  we  have  the  men. 


REMINISCENCES   OF   McCLELLAN  AND  JACKSON.  399 

\ 

REMINISCENCES  OF  GEORGE  B.  McCLELLAN  AND 
"STONEWALL  "  JACKSON. 

BY  GEORGE  B.  MCCLELLAN,  JR. 

THE  firing  of  the  first  gun  at  Fort  Sumter  separated  my  father  from 
very  many  of  the  dearest  and  best  friends  of  his  youth  and  early 
manhood.     u  Stonewall  "  Jackson,  Dabney  H.  Maury,  Cadmus  M. 
Wilcox  and  Samuel  B.  Maxey  were  his  classmates,  while  Simon 
B.  Buckner,  Barnard  E.  Bee  and  A.  P.  Hill  were  cadets  with  him  at  West 
Point.     G.  W.  Smith  commanded  the   company  of  sappers  and  miners  to 
which  my  fathei   was  attached  during  the  Mexican  War;    Robert  E.  Lee 
was  the  chief  engineer  of  General  Wool's  army,  and  Joseph  E.  Johnston  was 
intimately  associated  with  him. 

My  father  used  to  say  that  he  never  saw  West  Point  do  more  good  to  a 
man  than  it  did  to  "Tom"  Jackson.  "Tom,"  said  my  father,  "during 
'  pleb '  year  was  an  awkward,  bashful  boy,  who  came  to  the  Point  with  the 
worst  sort  of  a  preparation  and  apparently  no  fitness  for  a  military  career. 
His  pluck  was  something  absolutely  marvelous.  I  have  seen  him  night  after 
night,  after  taps  had  been  sounded,  rake  up  the  fire,  take  his  book,  and, 
lying  down  with  his  head  near  the  fireplace,  study  by  the  firelight  until 
three  or  four  o'clock  in  the  morning.  Tom  came  very  near  being  (  found f 
in  pleb  year,  but  by  almost  superhuman  work  he  not  only  pulled  through 
all  right,  but  graduated  seventeen  in  the  largest  class  West  Point  had  turned 
out  up  to  that  time.  If  ever  a  man  deserved  success  and  fame  it  was  dear 
old  Tom  Jackson." 

I  was  once  told  a  story  by  my  father  that  certainly  showed  more  pres- 
ence of  mind  on  the  part  of  the  actors  than  it  did  regard  for  the  regulations ; 
at  least  he  seemed  to  think  so,  for  he  stopped  to  laugh  several  times  during 
the  telling.  In  their  second  class  year  at  West  Point  he  and  "  Jimmie  " 
Stuart,  who  was  afterward  killed  by  Indians,  roomed  together  in  the  old 
North  Barracks,  and,  as  I  remember,  Dabney  H.  Maury  and  Cadmus  M. 
Wilcox  roomed  next  door.  It  was  during  the  palmiest  days  of  Benny 
Havens,  when  no  cadet  was  considered  worthy  of  his  uniform  unless  he  paid 
that  revered  old  person  a  periodical  visit. 

"Jimmie,  Cadmus,  Dabney  and  I,"  said  my  father,  "  agreed  to  celebrate 
thanksgiving  Day  with  a  grand  supper.  We  asked  Sam  Maxey  to  join  us, 


400  REMINISCENCES   OF   McCLELLAN  AND  JACKSON. 

but  as  he  was  on  guard  duty  that  night  he  couldn't.  Well,  we  agreed  to  slip 

off  in  the  afternoon,  lay  in  supplies  at  Benny's,  and  eat  and  drink  them  up 

after  taps.    Jimmie  Stuart  had  raised  five  dollars  some- 

A  Gingerbread  and  ^Q^  QI     the     &Q  ^^  wag  ^j^g  at  Benny's  that  was 

Beer  Anecdote. 

too  good   for  us.     We  laid  in  a  supply  of  beer  and  cakes. 

It  was  about  all  you  could  get  at  Benny's.  Dabney  Maury  carried  the  beer, 
I  carried  the  cakes,  and  Jimmie  Stuart  and  Cadmus  Wilcox  did  scouting  duty. 
My  cakes  were-  big,  flat  gingerbreads,  piled  one  on  top  of  another,  and,  as 
they  were  not  wrapped  up,  I  had  all  I  could  do  to  balance  them  by  using  both 
hands.  Dabuey  was  even  worse  off  with  the  beer  bottles.  We  got  along 
all  right,  passed  the  post  limits  in  safety,  and  had  nearly  reached  the  bar- 
racks without  being  seen,  when  suddenly  Jimmie  Stuart  cried,  '  Look  out ! ' 
and  took  to  his  heels,  closely  followed  by  Cadmus  Wilcox.  *  What's  the 
matter?' I  said.  '  Look  !' said  Dabney,  and  I  looked.  Not  twenty  yards 
from  us,  and  bearing  right  down  on  us,  was  old  General  Scott,  flanked  on  one 
side  by  Mrs.  Scott  and  on  the  other  side  by  Miss  Camilla.  They  saw  us  and 
there  was  no  escape.  By  halting  and  saluting  we  should  have  had  to  drop 
our  bottles  and  cakes  and  run  the  risk  of  smashing  them.  'We're  in  for  it, 
Dabney,'  I  said,  '  look  straight  ahead  and  pretend  not  to  see  him.  It  is  our 
last  chance.'  And  so  we  did.  As  we  came  near  them  we  executed  a  column 
half  right  and  passed  by.  The  general  grew  very  red,  looked  straight  to  the 
front  and  said  nothing.  After  we  had  got  by  we  heard  what  sounded  very 
much  like  several  people  laughing.  At  any  rate,"  said  my  father  in  conclu- 
sion, ".we  had  our  supper  and  weren't  reported.  And  I  have  often  thought," 
he  said  reflectively,  "  that  Miss  Camilla  saved  us." 

At  the  breaking  out  of  the  Mexican  War  the  government  organized  a 
company  of  engineer  troops,  or,  as  it  was  called,  "  sappers,  miners  and  pon- 
tooneers,"  and  Captain  Alexander  J.  Swift  was  put  in  command.  Captain 
Swift  had  graduated  head  of  the  Class  of  1830,  and  was  the  son  of  General 
Joseph  G.  Swift,  who  had  graduated  head  of  the  first  class  that  ever  left 
West  Point.  Gustavus  W.  Smith,  or,  as  he  was  always  called,  "  G.  W.,"  of 
the  Class  of  1842,  was  the  acting  first  lieutenant,  and  my  father  was  the 
second  lieutenant.  Soon  after  reaching  Mexico,  Captain  Swift  became  ill, 
and  went  to  New  Orleans  on  sick  leave.  He  died  there  April  24,  1847,  in 
the  thirty-eighth  year  of  his  age.  The  command  of  the  company  then 
devolved  upon  G.  W.  Smith,  who  held  it  throughout  the  war.  He  and  my 
father  lived  together  as  long  as  they  were  in  Mexico. 

After  the  City  of  Mexico  had  been  captured,  but  before  the  desultory 
firing  fiom  the  roofs  of  houses  had  altogether  ceased,  "  G.  W."  and  my  father 
were  passing  through  a  very  narrow  street,  when  a  sharpshooter  on  the  roof 
of  a  neighboring  house  attracted  their  attention.  "  Let's  go  up  and  settle 


REMINISCENCES  OF  McCLELLAN  AND  JACKSON.          401 

him,"  said  my  father.  "All  right,"  answered  "  G.  W."    So,  leaving  the  small 
detachment  they  had  with   them    below,  they  started  after   their   victim. 
When  they  reached  the  roof  they  found   that  the  sharpshooter   had  been 
killed  by  some  one  in  the  street,  so  they  started  down-stairs  again.     It  was 
the  usual  Mexican  house,  with  a  flat  roof  and  long,  narrow  passages.    When 
they  reached  the  second  floor  "G.  W."  said  to  my  father :  "  Mac,  it's  rather 
curious  that   there  is  no  one  in  this  house  ;  I  wonder  what's  behind  that 
door !  "     They  found  the  door  locked  and  the  key  on  the  outside.     Unlock- 
ing it,  my  father  walked  in  ahead  of  "  G.  W."     He  had 
hardly  crossed  the  threshold  when,  without  a  sound,  a  man     Adventure  with 
jumped  at  his  throat,  tripped  him  up,  and  with  great  dex-        jn  Mexico" 
terity  proceeded  to  choke  him.     "  G.  W."  was — luckily  for 
my  father — right  behind   him,  and  as  soon  as  he  saw  what  had  happened 
threw  himself  into  the  fight.     After  some  minutes  they  succeeded  in  tying 
up  their  assailant  and  turned  him  over  to  their  escort.     He  was  mad,  there 
was  no  doubt  of  it,  stark,  staring  mad ;  but  although   "  G.  W."   and  my  „ 
father  spent  many  months  in  the  City  of  Mexico,  and  made  all  possible 
inquiry,  they  were  never  able  to  find  out  who  he  was  nor  how  he  had  got 
into  the  house  and  room  where  they  had  found  him. 

In  1847  the  Aztec  Club  was  organized  in  the  City  of  Mexico  by  a  num- 
ber of  the  United  States  officers  quartered  .there.  The  club's  first  president 
was  General  Franklin  Pierce,  subsequently  President  of  the  United  States, 
and  among  its  members  who  afterward  became  prominent  in  the  Confederacy 
were  P.  G.  T.  Beauregard,  Barnard  E.  Bee,  Joseph  E.  Johnston,  Robert  E. 
Lee,  G.  W.  Smith  and  Cadmus  M.  Wilcox.  Jefferson  Davis,  although  he 
never  belonged  to  the  club,  was  intimate  with  most  of  its  older  members. 
My  father  used  to  say  that  Joseph  E!  Johnston  was  the  most  popular  mem- 
ber of  the  club.  ''Everyone  called  him  Uncle  Joe,"  he  said,  "everyone 
liked  him  and  he  seemed  to  like  everyone.  I  know  that  I  have  never  had 
a  better  friend  nor  one  I  cared  more  for  than  Uncle  Joe." 

Years  afterward,  at  my  father's  marriage,  he  wrote  to  General  Johnston : 

DEAR  UNCI.E  JOB;: 

Aren't  you  coming  to  iny  wedding?     I  shan't  feel  that  I  am  married  unless  you  are  there. 

Strangely  enough,  only  the  other  day,  while  looking  through  my 
father's  papers,  I  came  across  a  little  narrow  envelope,  yellow  with  age} 
and  sealed  with  an  old-fashioned  wafer.  It  was  addressed  to  Captain 
McClellan,  and  was  as  follows  ; 

DEAR  LITTLE  MAC: 

Of  course  I  shall  be  at  your  wedding.     I  shouldn't  consider  you  married  unless  I  were 
there.  Your  friend,  JOSEPH  E.  JOHNSTON. 

26 


402  REMINISCENCES  OF  McCLELLAN  AND  JACKSON. 

Their  friendship  lasted  through  life,  and  was  only  interrupted  during 
the  few  years  that  they  fought  against  each  other  in  the  late  war.  They  had 
always  respected  and  cared  foi  one  another,  but,  as  General  Johnston  said  to 
me,  "  You  never  know  what's  in  a  man  until  you  try  to  lick  him."  When 
the  war  was  over  they  really  knew  each  other  better,  and  admired  each  other 
more  than  they  ever  had  before.  Toward  the  close  of  my  father's  life  he 
was  lucky  enough  to  see  more  of  General  Johnston  than  he  had  in  some 
years.  It  made  them  young  again  to  be  together,  and,  with  General  Wilcox 
as  a  third,  I  have  often  heard  the  Mexican  War  fought  over  again.  They 
never  mentioned  the  Civil  War,  but  by  common  consent  dropped  from  their 
reminiscences  the  period  from  1861  to  1865.  The  last  act  of  the  friendship 
of  Uncle  Joe  and  Little  Mac  was  played  by  Uncle  Joe  alone,  when  he  acted 
as  one  of  Little  Mac's  pall-bearers. 

Jefferson  Davis  was  the  Secretary  of  War  who  sent  my  father  to  the 

Crimea.     It  had  been  decided  to  send  a  commission  of  three  to  Europe,  "-to 

study  the  art  of  war,"  as  practiced  by  the  Russians  and 

McClcllan's       their  a]iieSi     Although  Captain  McClellan,  as  he  was  then, 

Opinion  of 

Jefferson  Davis.  was  only  twenty-nine  years  old  when  he  was  sent  to 
Europe,  he  had  impressed  Colonel  Davis  so  favorably, 
while  in  Mexico,  that  his  name  was  the  first  that  the  Secretary  suggested  to 
the  Piesident  as  a  member  of  the  commission.  My  father  had  ample  oppor- 
tunity to  form  an  unbiased  opinion  of  Colonel  Davis,  for  both  before 
leaving  for  Europe  and  after  his  return,  he  spent  some  time  in  Washington, 
in  constant  communication  with  the  Secretary.  His  opinion  of  Colonel 
Davis  was  as  favorable  as  was  Colonel  Davis'  opinion  of  him.  "  Colonel 
Davis,"  he  said,  "  was  a  man  of  most  extraordinary  ability.  As  an  execu- 
tive officer,  he  was  remarkable.  He  was  the  best  Secretary  of  War — and  I 
use  '  best '  in  its  widest  sense — I  have  ever  had  anything  to  do  with." 

With  singular  appropriateness,  one  of  my  father's  last  public  appear- 
ances was  on  the  battlefield  of  Antietam,  at  a  "  Blue  and  Gray  "  celebration, 
on  Decoration  Day,  in  1885.  During  our  stay  near  Sharpsburg,  we  were  the 
guests  of  that  gallant  gentleman  and  beau  ideal  of  Southern  chivalry, 
Colonel  Kyd  Douglass,  who  had  been  General  Robert  E.  Lee's  chief 
of  staff.  Certainly  a  striking  illustration  of  our  country's  greatness  and 
unity — George  B.  McClellan  shown  over  the  battlefield  of  Antietam  by  the 
man  who  had  been  closest  to  his  great  opponent.  My  father  was  very  much 
surprised  to  learn  from  Colonel  Douglass  that  the  dead  of  North  and  South 
were  not  buried  side  by  side  in  the  cemetery.  "  I  can't  understand  why  it 
should  be  so,"  he  said..  "Surely  the  past  has  been  forgiven  and  forgotten. 
We  who  are  left  have  ceased  to  bear  ill-will,  and  are  all  loyal  children  of  our 


WITH  BUCHANAN  ON  THE  "  TENNESSEE."  403 

country.  If  we  don't  draw  the  line  among  the  living,  why  should  we  do  it 
among  the  dead  ?  Were  they  who  died  for  what  they  thought  right  alive 
to-day  they  would  be  the  first  to  wish  it  otherwise.  Bury  our  dead  of  both 
North  and  South  side  by  side.  They  would  have  wanted  it  so." 

The  next  da}r,  after  we  had  left  Hagerstown,  he  said  to  me  :  "  I  am 
very  glad  that  I  have  been  back  to  Antietam,  and  have  had  a  chance  to 
speak  to  some  of  my  boys,  and  to  some  of  Lee's,  too.  It  has  brought  nearer 
to  me  the  fact  that,  thank  God,  the  war  is  over  forever.  Seeing  my  boys 
talking  and  eating  and  drinking  with  those  fellows  in  gray,  and  seeing  crops 
growing  where  I  last  saw  Hunt's  artillery,  makes  me  feel  that  war  is,  after 
all,  a  pretty  bad  substitute  for  peace." 


WITH  BUCHANAN  ON  THE  "  TENNESSEE." 

BY  D.  B.  CONRAD,  M.  D., 

(Late  Fleet  Surgeon,  (7.  S.  Navy  and  C.  S.  Navy.) 

THIRTY-FIVE  years  ago  a  memorable  action  was  fought  in  Mobile 
Bay,  between   ironclads  of  different  type,  design,  and  armament ; 
one   with   a  shield  and  rifled  guns,  the  other  with    turrets   and 
Dahlgrens  (smooth-bores).      Many  men  are    now  living   in    New 
Orleans   and    Mobile   who   participated  in   or  saw  this  conflict ;  there  are 
many  sons  and  daughters  of  the  men  living  who  have  heard  of  it  at  the 
fireside.     There  are  many  others  who  have  never  heard  of  the  fight,  fought 
so  near  their  homes,  born  and  growu  to  full  estate  since  that  sorrowful 
period.     For  these,  too,  I  write. 

The  Bay  of  Mobile  was  of  infinite  use  and  importance  to  the  Confeder- 
ates, who  guarded  and  .  held  it  by  two  forts,  Morgan  and  Gaines,  at  its 
entrance.  By  holding  it  they  held  safe  the  city  of  Mobile  from  attack  by 
water  ;  it  could  only  be  captured  by  a  combined  amy  and  navy  attack,  so  it 
was  a  safe  depot  for  blockade-runners,  easy  to  go  out  of  and  enter,  and  if  it 
was  so  important  to  the  Confederates,  how  much  greater 
was  it  to  the  Federals?  For  they  were  compelled  to  keep 
their  large  blockade  fleet  outside,  exposed  to  all  the  storms 
of  the  gulf.  They  could  only  be  victualed  and  watered  by  going  away,  one 
at  a  time,  to  Pensacola,  their  only  port ;  their  sick  had  to  be  transported 
to  the  same  place,  and  the  wear  and  tear  both  to  vessels  and  crews  was 


404  WITH  BUCHANAN  ON  THE  "TENNESSEE." 

fearful,  as  a  constant,  vigilant  and  never-ceasing  watch,  both  by  officers  and 
men,  had  to  be  kept  up,  day  and  night,  year  in  and  year  out.  The  officers 
were  in  three  watches,  the  men  in  two,  guarding  themselves  against  night  at- 
tacks by  torpedo-boats  or  assault  by  the  Confederate  gunboats,  and  seeing  that 
no  vessel  came  out  and  that  none  went  in.  All  this  had  to  be  endured,  or 
the  bay  captured  and  held  by  the  fleet.  This  was  finally  determined  on  by 
Farragut,  and  he  only  awaited  the  arrival  of  ironclads  to  make  sure  his  end. 
Finding  this  plan  determined  on,  the  Confederates  bestirred  themselves.  At 
the  hamlet  of  Selma,  on  the  river  above,  they  built  one  ironclad,  on  the 
plan  of  the  "  Merrimac,"  their  resources  being  exhausted  to  do  even  this. 
Slowly  the  wooden  structure  approached  completion,  then  more  slowly  was 
it  ironed  all  over  above  the  water-line,  then  towed  down  to  Mobile,  where  it 
was  equipped  with  eight-inch  rifle-guns. 

Then,  when  officers  and  men,  provisions  and  water  had  been  taken  on 
board,  all  ready  for  action,  she  started  down  the  bay,  nearly  thirty  miles, 
to  go  outside  in  rough  water  and  attack  the  enemy's  wooden  fleet  before  the 
ironclads  arrived  ;  when,  on  arriving  at  the  bar  of  sand  caused  by  Dog  Run 
emptying  into  the  bay,  it  was  found  that  the  bar  had  shoaled  .to  such  an 
extent  that  the  ironclad,  now  christened  the  u  Tennessee,"  drew  three  feet 
more  water  than  there  was  under  her.  The  only  expedient 

How  the  "Tennes-  that  offered  itself,  which  was  safe  and  speedy,  was  to  build 
see  "was  Drawn  ...  , 

Over  the  Bar.       °*  nuge  square  timbers  two  enormous  air-tight  tanks,  each 

as  high  as  a  two-story  house.  These  were  to  be  towed 
alongside  of  the  ram  and  sunk  to  the  water's  edge  by  opening  the  valves, 
then  all  lashed  together  securely,  making  one  vessel,  as  it  were,  of  them  ; 
the  water  was  pumped  out  of  these  tanks,  and  the  air  entering,  they,  by 
their  buoyancy,  lifted  the  huge  ship  clear  of  the  bottom,  then  steam  tugs 
towed  her  over  the  bar.  This  was  done  in  May,  1864  ;  it  should  have  been 
so  many  months  before,  for  these  so-called  "  camels  "  were  finished  in  March. 
But  on  their  arrival  off  Mobile  they  were  burned  by  Federal  emissaries,  who 
were  paid  well  for  their  daring  deed. 

Right  here  we  may  interrupt  our  story  to  say  that  the  secret  service  fund 
was  well  spent  by  Admiral  Farragut,  for  we  were  delayed  several  months  in 
building  two  more  "  camels,"  and  by  that  time  his  ironclads  were  finished 
and  on  their  way  to  him.  I  must  mention  the  desertion  of  five  men  the  day 
after  the  destruction  of  the  camels  ;  they  had  been  working  on  our  ironclad, 
and  furnished  him  with  all  details  of  her  construction,  all  her  weak  points, 
of  the  character  of  her  engines,  the  calibre  of  her  afmament,  of  all  of  which 
information  he  availed  himself  when  the  eventful  day  of  action  came.  In 
addition  to  this,  they  were  to  be  received  into  the  Federal  service  if  they 


WITH  BUCHANAN  ON  THE  "TENNESSEE."  405 

destroyed  these  camels.  These  large  bribes  were  offered  for  the  reason  that 
the  fleet  lying  outside  of  Fort  Morgan  were  solely  wooden  ships,  and  could 
not  cope  with  nor  resist  the  attack  of  our  ironclad,  and  the  Federal  ironclads 
had  not  yet  arrived.  Finally,  one  June  day  we  were  towed  over  the  bar  down 
the  bay ;  then,  casting  loose,  we  steamed  out  to  attack  the  Federal  fleet. 
Reaching  the  passage  between  the  two  forts,  we  encountered  rough  water 
and  found  that,  owing  to  want  of  buoyancy,  we  were 
in  great  danger  of  being  water-logged  and  sunk  by  the  The  Weak  Polntsof 

'        .         the  Confederate 

amount  of  water  that  swept  inboard.     The  ram  lay  deep  in  Ram. 

the  water,  solid  and  motionless  as  a  cast-iron  platform  or 
raft,  and  every  sea  tumbling  over  her  came  inboard  in  such  masses  that  the 
fires  in  the  engine  room  were  nearly  put  out  and  the  empty  vessel  itself  filled 
with  salt  water.  So,  discomfited,  we  put  back  under  the  fort,  in  smooth 
water,  and  all  thought  of  attacking  the  fleet  outside  was  dismissed.  Then 
the  defects,  which  this  short  cruise  of  ten  hours  had  developed,  were  looked 
into.  Our  engines  had  been  taken  from  an  old  river  boat ;  they  were  weak 
and  old,  and  could  only  force  us  through  the  water  about  two  miles  an  hour. 
They  could  not  be  strengthened  by  any  method.  The  rudder-chains,  by 
which  the  ship  was  steered,  were  found  to  be  exposed  to  the  enemy's  shot, 
being  in  their  whole  length  outside  the  iron  deck  but  were  covered  over 
by  a  slight  coating  of  iron  rail.  The  capacity  of  the  rani  inboard  to  accommo- 
date her  crew  was  fearfully  deficient ;  all  officers  and  men,  when  the  weather 
admitted,  slept  outside  on  top  of  the  iron  shield  and  decks,  but  in  rainy 
times  it  was  awful  to  endure  such  close  quarters  at  night ;  but  we  bore  it 
June  and  July,  under  the  sloping  sides  of  the  shield,  in  shape  like  the  roof  of  a 
square  house,  about  twelve  feet  in  height  and  forty-eight  in  length.  On  July 
26,  Admiral  Buchanan  and  staff  came  aboard ;  from  his  information,  a 
fierce  fight  was  imminent,  when,  on  the  first  of  August,  1864,  we  saw  a 
decided  increase  in  the  Federal  fleet,  which  was  then  listlessly  at  anchor 
outside  of  Fort  Morgan,  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

This  reinforcement  consisted  of  ten  wooden  frigates,  all  stripped  to  a 
"  girt  line "  and  clean  for  action,  their  topmasts  sent  down  on  deck  and 
devoid  of  everything  that  seemed  like  extra  rigging  ;  they  appeared  like 
prize-fighters  ready  for  the  "  ring."  Then  we  knew  that  trouble  was  ahead, 
and  wondered  to  ourselves  why  they  did  not  enter  the  bay.  On  the  third  of 
August  we  noticed  another  addition  to  the  already  formidable  fleet — four 
strange-looking,  long,  black  monsters,  the  new  monitors  ;  and  they  were 
what  the  Federals  had  been  so  anxiously  waiting  for.  At  the  distance  of 
four  miles  their  lengthy,  dark  lines  could  only  be  distinguished  from  the  sea, 
on  which  they  sat  motionless,  by  the  continuous  volume  of  thick  smoke 


406  WITH  BUCHANAN  ON  THE  "TENNESSEE." 

issuing  from  their  low  stroke-stacks,  which  appeared  to  come  out  of  the 
ocean  itself.  These  curious-looking  craft  made  their  advent  on  the  evening 
of  the  fourth  of  August,  and  then  we  knew  that  the  "  gage  of  battle  "  was 
offered. 

We  had  been  very  uncomfortable  for  many  weeks  in  our  berths  on  board 
the  "  Tennessee,"  in  consequence  of  the  prevailing  heavy  rains  wetting  the 

decks  and   the  terribly  moist,  hot  atmosphere,  which  was 
th         °  '          ^ke  that  oppressiveness  which  precedes  a  tornado.     It  was, 

therefore,  impossible  to  sleep  inside  ;  besides,  from  the 
want  of  properly  cooked  food  and  the  continuous  wetting  of  the  decks  at 
night,  the  officers  and  men  were  rendered  desperate.  We  knew  that  the 
impending  action  would  soon  be  determined  one  way  or  the  other,  and 
everyone  looked  forward  to  it  with  a  positive  feeling  of  relief. 

I  had  been  sleeping  on  the  deck  of  the  admiral's  cabin  for  two  or  three 
nights,  when  at  daybreak  on  the  fifth  of  August  the  old  quartermaster  came 
down  the  ladder,  rousing  us  up  with  his  gruff  voice,  saying  :  "  Admiral,  the 
officer  of  the  deck  bids  me  report  that  the  enemy's  fleet  is  under  way! " 
Jumping  up,  still  half  asleep,  we  came  on  deck,  and  sure  enough,  there  was 
the  enemy  heading  for  the  "  passage  "  past  the  fort.  The  grand  old  admiral 
of  sixty  years,  with  his  countenance  rigid  and  stern,  showing  a  determina- 
tion for  battle  in  every  line,  then  gave  his  only  order:  "  Get  under  way, 
Captain  Johnson  ;  head  for  the  leading  vessel  of  the  enemy,  and  fight  each 
one  as  they  pass ! " 

The  fort  and  fleet  by  this  time  had  opened  fire,  and  the  u  Tennessee  " 
replied,  standing  close  in  and  meeting  each  foremost  vessel  as  it  came  up. 
We  could  see  two  long  lines  of  men-of-war ;  the  innermost  was  composed  of 
the  four  monitors,  and  the  outer  of  the  ten  wooden  frigates,  all  engaging 
the  fort  and  fleet.  Just  at  the  moment  we  expected  the  monitors  to  open 

fire  upon  us,  there  was  a  halt  in  the  progress  of  the  enemy's 
Sinking  fleet.     We  observed  that  one  of  the  monitors  was  appar- 

of  the  Monitor  ,  - 

"Tecumseh."  ently  at  a  stand-still;  "laid  to"  for  a  moment,  seemed  to 
reel,  then  slowly  disappeared  in  the  gulf.  Immediately 
immense  bubbles  of  steam,  as  large  as  cauldrons,  rose  to  the  surface  of  the 
water,  and  only  eight  human  beings  could  be  seen  in  the  turmoil.  Boats 
were  sent  to  their  rescue,  both  from  the  fort  and  fleet,  and  they  were  saved. 
Thus  the  monitor  "  Tecumseh,"  at  the  commencement  of  the  fight,  struck 
by  a  torpedo,  went  to  her  fate  at  the  bottom  of  the  gulf,  where  she  still  lies. 
Sunk  with  her  was  her  chivalric  commander,  T.  A.  M.  Craven.  The  pilot, 
an  engineer  and  two  seamen  were  the  only  survivors  picked  up  by  the 
Federal  boats,  and  they  were  on  duty  in  the  turret.  The  pilot,  with  whom 


WITH  BUCHANAN  OF  THE  "TENNESSEE."  407 

I  some  time  afterwards  conversed  at  Pensacola  on  the  subject,  told  me  that 

when  the  vessel  careened  so  that  water  began  to  run  into  the  mouth  of  the 

turret,  he  and  Captain  Craven  were  on  the  ladder  together, 

the  captain  on  the  top  step,  with   the  way  open   for  his   *jj£ **' 

easy  and  honorable  escape.     The  pilot  said:  "Go  ahead, 

captain!"     "  No,  sir !"  replied  Captain  Craven.     "  After  you,  pilot ;  I  leave 

my  ship  last !"     Upon  this  the  pilot  sprang  up,  and  the  gallant  Craven  went 

down,  sucked  under  in  the  vortex,  thus  sacrificing  himself  through  a  chiv- 

alric  sense  of  duty. 

There  was  dead  silence  on  board  the  "  Tennessee ;"  the  men  peered 
through  the  port-holes  at  the  awful  catastrophe  and  spoke  to  each  other  only 
in  whispers,  for  they  all  knew  that  the  same  fate  was  probably  awaiting  us, 
for  we  were  then  directly  over  the  "  torpedo  bed,"  and  shut  up  tightly  as  we 
were  in  our  "iron  capsule  ;  "  in  another  moment  it  might  prove  our  coffin. 

At  this  juncture  the  enemy's  leading  vessel  "  backed  water  "  and  steered 
to  one  side,  which  arrested  the  progress  of  the  whole  squadron.  But  at  this 
supreme  moment  the  second  vessel,  Admiral  Farragut's  flagship,  the  "  Hart- 
ford," forged  ahead,  and  Farragut,  showing  the  nerve  and  determination  of 

the  officer  and  the  man,  gave  the  order :  " the  torpedoes  !     Go  ahead  !" 

and  away  he  went,  crashing  through  their  bed  to  victory  and  renown.  Some 
of  the  officers  told  me  afterwards  that  they  could  hear  the  torpedoes  snap- 
ping under  the  bottoms  of  their  ships,  and  that  they  expected  every  moment 
to  be  blown  into  high  air. 

The  slightest  delay  at  that  time  on  the  part  of  Farragut,  subjected  as  he 
was  to  the  terrible  fire  of  the  fort  and  fleet,  would  have  been  disaster,  defeat, 
and  the  probable  loss  of  his  entire  squadron,  but  he  proved  to  be  the  nian 
for  the  emergency. 

We  in  the  "Tennessee,"  advancing  very  slowly,  at  the  rate  of  about 
two  miles  an  hour,  met  the  leading  vessels  of  the  enemy  as  they  passed  and 
fought  them  face  to  face,  but  their  fire  was  so  destructive,  continuous  and 
severe  that  after  we  emerged  from  it,  there  was  nothing  left  standing-  as 
large  as  your  little  finger.  Everything  had  been  shot  away — smoke-stacks, 
boats,  davits,  staunchions,  and,  in  fact,  "  fore  and  aft,"  our  deck  had  been 
swept  absolutely  clean.  A  few  of  our  men  were  slightly  wounded,  and 
•when  the  last  vessel  had  passed  us  and  been  fought  in  turn,  we  had  been  in 
action  more  than  an  hour  and  a  half;  and  then  the  enemy's  fleet,  somewhat 
disabled,  of  course,  kept  on  up  t:ie  bay  and  anchored  about  four  miles  away. 
So  ended  the  first  part  of  the  fight.  Farragut  had  already  won  half  the 
battle  ;  he  had  passed  the  fort  and  fleet  and  had  ten  wooden  vessels  and 
three  monitors  left  in  good  fighting  trim. 


4o8  WITH  BUCHANAN  ON  THE  "TENNESSEE." 

Neither  the  officers  nor  men  of  either  fleet  had  as  yet  been  to  breakfast, 

and  the  order  was  given  :  "  Go  to  breakfast  !"    An  order  identical  with  that 

given  by  Admiral   Dewey  at  Manila,   May   i,  1898,  and 

Stopping  the  Fight   under    almost    identical    circumstances.     For  fts  on  the 
For  Breakfast. 

"  Tennessee  "  to  eat    below    was    simply  impossible,  on 

account  of  the  heat  and  humidity.  The  heat  was  not  only  terrific  but 
intense  thirst  universally  prevailed.  The  men  rushed  to  the  "  scuttle  butts  " 
or  water  tanks,  and  drank  greedily.  Soon  "  hard-tack  "  and  coffee  were 
furnished,  the  men  all  eating  standing,  creeping  out  of  the  ports  of  the 
shield  to  get  a  little  fresh  air,  the  officers  going  to  the  upper  deck.  Admiral 
Buchanan,  grim,  silent,  and  rigid  with  prospective  fighting,  was  "  stumping  " 
up  and  down  the  deck,  lame  from  a  wound  received  in  his  first  engagement 
on  the  "  Merrimac,"  and  in  about  fifteen  minutes  we  observed  that,  instead 
of  heading  for  the  safe  "  lee  "  of  the  fort,  our  iron  prow  was  pointed  for  the 
enemy's  fleet.  Suppressed  exclamations  were  beginning  to  be  heard  from 
the  officers  and  crew.  "  The  old  admiral  has  not  had  his  fight  out  yet  ;  he 
is  heading  for  that  big  fleet  ;  he  will  get  his  '  fill  '  of  it  up  there." 

Slowly  and  gradually  this  fact  became  apparent  to  us,  and  I  being  on 
his  staff  and  in  close  association  with  him,  ventured  to  ask  him  :  "Are  you 
going  into  that  fleet,  admiral  ?"  "  I  am,  sir  !"  was  his  reply.  Without 
intending  to  be  heard  by  him,  I  said  to  an  officer  standing  near  me  :  "  Well, 
we'll  never  come  out  of  there  whole  !"  But  Buchanan  had  heard  my 
remark,  and,  turning  round,  said  sharply  :  "  That's  my  lookout,  sir  !"  And 
now  began  the  second  part  of  the  fight. 

I  may  as  well  explain  here  why  he  did  this  much-criticised  and  desperate 
deed  of  daring.  He  told  me  his  reasons  long  afterward,  as  follows  :  He 
had  only  six  hours  coal  on  board,  and  he  intended  to 
B"to  fCed  ex^nd  that  in  fighting-  He  did  not  mean  to  be  trapped 


Expedient.          ^^e  a  rat  m  a  no^e  and  made  surrender  without  a  struggle. 
Then  he  meant  to  go  to  the  "  lee  "  of  the  fort  and  assist 
General  Page  in  the  defence  of  the  place.     This  calculation  was  unluckily 
prevented  by  the  shooting  away  of  the  rudder  chains  of  the   "  Tennessee  " 
in  this  second  ehgagement. 

As  we  approached  the  enemy's  fleet,  one  after  another  of  Farragut's  ten 
wooden  frigates  swept  out  in  a  wide  circle,  and  by  the  time  we  reached  the 
point  where  the  monitors  were,  a  huge  leading  frigate  was  coming  at  us  at 
the  rate  of  ten  miles  an  hour.  A  column  of  white  foam,  formed  of  the 
"  dead  water,"  piled  in  front  of  its  bows  many  feet  high.  Heavy  cannonad- 
ing from  the  monitors  was  going  on  at  this  time,  when  this  leading  wooden 
vessel  came  rapidly  bearing  down  on  us,  bent  on  the  destruction  of  the 


WITH  BUCHANAN  ON  THE  "TENNESSEE."  409 

formidable  ram,  which  we  on  board  the  "Tennessee"  fully  realized  as  the 
supreme  moment  of  the  test  of  our  strength.  We  had  escaped  from  the 
"  torpedo  bed  "  safe  and  "  on  top,"  and  were  now  to  take  our  chances  of 
being  "run  under"  by  the  heavy  wooden  frigates  that  were  fast  nearing  us. 
Each  vessel  had  her  own  bows  heavily  ironed  for  the  purpose  of  cutting 
down  and  sinking  the  "Tennessee,"  as  such  were  the  orders  of  Admiral 
Farragut. 

Captain  Johnson,  in  the  pilot-house,  now  gave  the  word  to  officers  and 
men  :  "  Steady  yourselves  when  she  strikes  ;  stand  by  and  be  ready  !  "  Not 
a  word  was  heard  on  the  deck  under  its  shelving  roof,  where  the  officers  and 
men,  standing  by  their  guns,  appeared,  silent  and  rigid,  awaiting  their  fate. 
Captain  Johnson  shouted  out :  "  We  are  all  right ;  they  can  never  run  us 
under  now !  "  As  he  spoke,  the  leading  vessel  had  struck  against  our  "  over- 
hang "  with  tremendous  impact ;  had  shivered  its  iron  prow  in  the  clash,  but 
only  succeeded  in  whirling  the  "  Tennessee  "  around  as  if  she  were  swung  on 
a  pivot. 

I  was  sitting  on  the  "  combing  of  the  hatch,"  having  nothing  to  do  as 
yet,  a  close  observer  as  each  vessel  in  turn  struck  us.     At  the  moment  of 
impact  they  slid  alongside  of  us,  and  our  "  black  wales  " 
came  in  contact.     At  a  distance  of  ten  feet  they  poured  The  "Tennessee" 

-,.,,-  .  .  *    /Tii  .  Rammed  by 

their  broadside  of  twenty   n-inch   guns  into  us.     This   wooden  Frigates. 
continued   for   more   than  an   hour,  and   as   each  vessel 
"rammed"  the  "Tennessee"  and  slid  alongside  they  followed,  discharging 
their  broadsides  fast  and  furious,  so  that  the  noise  was  one  continuous, 
deafening  roar.     You  could  only  hear  voices  when  close  to  the  speaker,  and 
the  reverberation  was  so  great  that  bleeding  at  the  nose  was  not  infrequent. 

Soon  the  wounded  began  to  pour  down  to  me.  Stripped  to  their  waist, 
the  white  shins  of  the  men* exhibited  curious  dark  blue  elevations  and  hard 
spots.  Cutting  down  to  these,  I  found  that  unburnt  cubes  of  cannon  powder 
that  had  poured  into  the  port  had  perforated  the  flesh  and  made  these  great 
blue  ridges  under  the  skin.  Their  sufferings  were  very  severe,  for  it  was  as 
if  they  had  been  shot  with  red-hot  bullets,  but  no  serious  effects  followed. 

Now  all  the  wooden  vessels,  disabled  and  their  prows  broken  off,  anchored 
in  succession  over  a  mile  away.  Then  Admiral  Farragut  signaled  to  the 
monitors  :  "  Destroy  the  ram  !  "  Soon  these  three  grim  monsters,  at  thirty 
yards  distance,  took  their  position  on  each  quarter  of  the  "  Tennessee  "  as 
she  lay  nearly  motionless,  her  rudder  having  been  shot  away  with  grape  in 
the  fight.  We  knew  that  we  were  hopelessly  disabled  and  that  victory  was 
impossible,  as  all  we  could  do  was  to  move  around  very  slowly  in  a  circle, 
and  the  only  chance  left  to  us  was  to  crawl  under  the  shelter  of  Fort  Morgan. 


4io  WITH  BUCHANAN  ON  THE  "TENNESSEE." 

For  an  hour  and  a  half  the  monitors  pounded  us  with  solid  shot  fired 
with  a  charge  of  sixty  pounds  of  powder  from  their  i  i-inch  guns,  determined 
to  cfush  in  the  "  shield  "  of  the  "  Tennessee,"  as  thirty  pounds  of  powder 
was  the  "regulation  amount."  In  the  midst  of  this  continuous  pounding 
the  port-shutter  of  one  of  our  guns  was  jammed  by  a  shot,  so  that  it  would 
neither  open  nor  shut,  making  it  impossible  to  work  the  piece.  The  admiral 
the,n  sent  for  some  of  the  firemen  from  below  to  drive  the 

The  Deck  Strewed      bolt         fc       pQUr  men   came  and   twQ  Qf  them   holding 

With  Bloody 

Fragments.          *ne  kolt  back,  the  others  struck  it  with  sledge-hammers. 

While  they  were ^ thus  working,  suddenly  there  was  a  dull 
sounding  impact,  and  at  the  same  instant  the  men  whose  backs  were  against 
the  shield  were  riven  into  pieces.  I  saw  their  limbs  and  chests,  severed  and 
mangled,  scattered  about  the  deck,  their  hearts  lying  near  their  bodies.  All 
of  the  gun's  crew  and  the  admiral  were  covered  from  head  to  foot  with  blood, 
flesh  and  viscera.  I  thought  at  first  the  admiral  was  mortally  wounded. 
The  fragments  and  members  of  the  dead  men  were  shoveled  up,  put  in 
buckets  and  hammocks,  and  stuck  below. 

Engineer  J.  C.  O'Connell,  one  of  the  wounded,  had  a  pistol  ball  through 
his  shoulder.  "  How  in  the  world  did  you  manage  to  get  this  ?  "  I  asked 
him.  He  replied  :  "  Why,  I  was  off  watch  and  had  nothing  to  do,  so  while 
the  '  Hartford '  was  lying  alongside  of  us  a  Yankee  cursed  me  through  the 
port-hole  and  I  jabbed  him  with  my  bayonet  in  the  body,  and  his  comrade 
shot  me  with  his  revolver."  Cutting  the  ball  out  I  proposed  to  give  him 
morphine,  as  he  was  suffering  terribly,  but  he  said  :  "  None  of  that  for  me, 
doctor ;  when  we  go  down  I  want  to  be  up  and  take  my  chances  of  getting 

out  of  some  port-hole."    Another  man  was  wounded  in  the 

Fighting  With        ear  w]len  fighting  in  the  same  manner  as  the  engineer,  but 
Bayonets  Through  f 

Port-holes.          ne  always  declared  he  got  even  by  the  use  of  his  bayonet. 

I  merely  mention  these  facts  to  show  how  close  the  fighting 
was,  when  men  could  kill  or  wound  each  other  through  the  porb-holes  of  each 
vessel. 

While  attending  the  engineer,  aide  Carter  came  down  the  ladder  in 
great  haste  and  said  :  "  Doctor,  the  admiral  is  wounded."  "Well,  bring  him 
below,"  I  replied.  "  I  can't  do  it,"  he  answered  ;  "  haven't  time.  I'm  carry- 
ing orders  for  Captain  Johnson."  So  I  went  up,  asked  some  officer  whom  I 
saw :  "  Where  is  the  admiral  ?  "  "  Don't  know,"  he  replied.  "  We  are  all  at 
work  loading  and  firing ;  got  too  much  to  do  to  think  of  anything  else ! " 
Then  I  looked  for  the  gallant  commander  myself,  and  discovered  the  old 
white-haired  man  lying  curled  up  under  the  sharp  angle  of  the  roof.  He  was 
grim,  silent  and  betrayed  no  evidence  of  his  great  pain.  I  went  up  to  him 


WITH  BUCHANAN  ON  THE  "TENNESSEE."  411 

>  * 

and  asked:  "Admiral,  are  you  badly  hurt?"  "Don't  know,"  he  replied, 
but  I  saw  one  of  his  legs  crushed  up  under  his  body,  and,  as  I  could  get  no 
help,  raised  him  up  with  great  caution,  and  clasping  his  arms  around  my 
neck  carried  him  on  my  back  down  the  ladder  to  the  "  cockpit,"  his  broken 
leg  slapping  against  me  as  we  moved  slowly  along.  After  applying  a 
temporary  bandage  he  sat  up  on  the  deck  and  received  reports  from  Captain 
Johnson  regarding  the  progress  of  the  fight.  Captain  Johnson  soon  came 
down  in  person,  and  the  admiral  greeted  him  with  :  "  Well,  Johnson,  they 
have  got  me  again.  You'll  have  to  look  out  for  her  now  ;  it  is  your  fight." 
"  All  right,"  answered  the  captain,  "  I'll  do  the  best  I  know  how." 

In  the  course  of  half  an  hour  Captain  Johnson  again  made  his  appear- 
ance below  and  reported  to  the  admiral  that  all  the  frigates  had  "  hauled  off," 
but  that  three  monitors  had  taken  position  on  our  quarters. 
He  added  that  we  could  not  bring  a  gun  to  bear  and  that 


the  enemy's  solid  shot  were  gradually  smashing  in  the 
"  shield,"  and  not  having  been  able  to  fire  for  thirty  minutes  the  men  were 
fast  becoming  demoralized  from  sheer  inactivity,  and  that  from  the  crushing 
of  the  "  shield  "  they  were  seeking  shelter,  which  showed  their  condition 
mentally.  "Well,  Johnson,"  said  the  admiral,  at  this  precarious  juncture, 
"  fight  to  the  last  ;  then,  to  save  these  brave  men,  when  there  is  no  longer 
hope,  surrender." 

In  twenty  minutes  more  the  firing  ceased,  Captain  Johnson  having 
bravely  gone  up  alone  on  the  exposed  roof  with  a  handkerchief  on  a 
"  boarding-pike,"  and  the  surrender  wqs  effected.  Then  we  immediately 
carried  all  our  wounded  up  on  the  roof  into  the  fresh  air,  which  they  so 
much  needed. 

From  that  elevated  place,  I  witnessed  the  rush  of  the  petty  officers  and 
men  of  the  monitors  which  were  nearest  to  us,  to  board  the  captured  ship,  to 
procure  relics  and  newspaper  renown.  Two  creatures  dressed  in  blue  shirts, 
begrimed  and  black  with  powder,  rushed  up  to  the  wounded  admiral  and 
demanded  his  sword.  His  aide  refused  peremptorily,  whereupon  one  of 
them  stooped  as  if  to  take  it,  upon  which  aide  Forrest  warned  him  not  to 
touch  it,  as  it  would  only  be  given  to  Admiral  Farragut  or  his  authorized 
representatives.  Still  the  man  attempted  to  seize  it,  whereupon  Forrest 
knocked  him  off  the  "  shield  "  to  the  deck  below.  At  this  critical  moment, 
when  a  fight  was  imminent,  I  saw  a  boat  nearing,  flying  a  captain's  pennant, 
and  running  down  as  it  came  alongside  I  recognized  an  old  shipmate, 
Captain  L,e  Roy.  Hurriedly  explaining  to  him  our  position*  he  mounted  the 
"  shield,"  and  assuming  command,  he  arrested  the  obnoxious  man  and  sent 
him  under  guard  to  his  boat.  The  sword  was  then  given  to  Captain  Giraud 


4i2  WITH  BUCHANAN  ON  THE  "TENNESSEE." 

by  Admiral  Buchanan,  to  be  carried  to  Admiral  Farragiit.  Our  flag,  smoke- 
stained  and  torn,  had  been  seized  by  the  other  man  and  hastily  concealed  in 
his  shirt  bosom.  He  was  brought  before  Captain  Le  Roy,  and  amidst  the 
laughter  and  jeers  of  his  companions,  was  compelled  to  draw  it  forth  from 
its  hiding-place,  and  it  was  sent  on  board  the  flagship. 

Captain  Le  Roy,  who  was  an  old  friend  of  us  both,  immediately  had 

private  supplies  brought  and  did  everything  in  his  power  to  aid  his  former 

shipmate,  the  wounded  admiral..    He  brought  a  kind  mes- 

Chivairous  Acts     sa  e  £rom  Admiral  Farragut,  in  which  the  latter  expressed 

in  the  Moment 

of  Victory.         regret  to  hear  of  Admiral  Buchanan's  wound,  and  offered 
to  do  anything  in  his  power,  wishing  to  know  what  he 
desired.     This  was  accepted  by  Admiral  Buchanan  in  the  same  kind  spirit 
in  which  it  was  given,  and  as  one  of  his  staff-officers,  I  was  sent  on  board  the 
"  Hartford  "  with  the  reply  that,  appreciating  the  kind  message,  he  had  only 
to  ask  that  his  fleet-surgeon  and  his  aides  might  be  allowed  to  accompany 
him  wherever  he  might  be  sent,  until  his  recovery  from  liis  wound.     Board- 
ing the  "Hartford"  by  Captain  Le  Roy's  steam  launch,  and  ascending  by 
the  "man-rope,"  I  mounted  the  hammock  netting,  as  the  whole  starboard 
side,  amidship,  and  the  gangway  had  been  carried  away, 
Terrible  Destruc-    ag    j  wag   afterwar(Js    io\A     Dy   one  of    tjieir   owll    frigates 
tion  Caused  by 

Wood  Splinters,  having  collided  with  the  "Hartford,"  after  "ramming" 
the  "  Tennessee."  From  the  hammock  netting  the  scene 
was  one  of  carnage  and  devastation.  The  spar-deck  was  covered  and  littered 
with  broken  gun-carriages,  shattered  boats,  disabled  guns,  and  a  long  line  of 
grim  corpses,  dressed  in  blue,  lying  side  by  side.  The  officer  accompanying 
me  told  me  that  those  men,  two  whole  gun's  crews,  were  all  killed  by 
splinters,  and  pointing  with  his  hand  to  a  piece  of  "  weather-boarding,"  ten 
feet  long  and  four  inches  wide,  I  received  my  first  vivid  idea  of  what  a 
splinter  was,  or  what  was  meant  by  a  splinter. 

Descending,  we  threaded  our  way,  and  ascending  the  poop  where  all 
the  officers  were  standing,  I  was  taken  up  and  introduced  to  Admiral  Farra- 
gut, whom  I  found  a  very  quiet,  unassuming  man,  and  not  in  the  least 
flurried  by  his  great  victory.  In  the  kindest  manner,  he  inquired  regarding 
the  severity  of  the  admiral's  wound,  and  then  gave  the  necessary  orders  to 
carry  out  Admiral  Buchanan's  request. 

We  then  thought  that  the  admiral's  leg  would  have  to  be  amputated 
that  evening  or  the  next  morning.  In  speaking  to  the  admiral  about  his 
chances  of  recovery  and  the  proposed  amputation,  he  replied :  "  I  have 
nothing  to  do  with  it.  It  is  your  leg  now.  Do  your  best."  It  was  this 
spirit  of  firmness  and  equanimity  which  not  only  saved  Admiral  Buchanan's 


WITH  BUCHANAN  ON  THE  "TENNESSEE."  413 

life  but  ultimately  saved  his  leg  also.  He  was  carried  on  board  of  Captain 
James  Jouett's  ship,  the  "  Metacomet,"  which  was  temporarily  converted 
into  a  hospital.  We  remained  on  board  that  night  and  were  cared  for  in  a 
very  kind  way  by  Captain  Jouett,  to  whom  Admiral  Buchanan  always 
expressed  himself  as  deeply  indebted. 

The  next  morning,  atxmy  suggestion,  a  flag  of  truce  was  sent  to  General 
Page,  commanding  Fort  Morgan,  representing  our  condition,  sending  the 
names  of  our  dead,  wounded,  and  the  great  number  of  Federal  dead  and 
wounded  on  board,  and  asking,  in  the  name  of  humanity,  to  be  allowed  to 
pass  the  fort  and  convey  them  to  the  large  naval  hospital  at  Pensacola,  where 
they  all  could  receive  the  same  treatment.  To  this  request  General  Page 
promptly  responded,  and  we  passed  out,  and  in  eight  hours  were  all  safely 
housed  in  the  ample  hospital,  where  we  were  treated  by  old  naval  friends  in 
the  warmest  and  kindest  manner.  Medical  Director  Turner  was  in  charge, 
and  we  remained  there  until  December,  when  Admiral  Buchanan,  being 
able  to  hobble  around  on  crutches,  was  conveyed  to  Fort  Warren,  with  his 
aides,  and  I  was  sent  back  to  Mobile  in  Captain  Jouett's  ship,  under  flag  of 
truce. 

Daily  with  the  admiral  in  the  hospital  at  Pensacola  for  four  months,  he 
explained  his  whole  plan  of  action  to  me  of  that  second  fight  in  Mobile 
Bay,  as  follows :  "  I  did  not  expect  to  inflict  serious  injury  upon  passing 
vessels ;  the  guns  of  Fort  Morgan  were  thought  capable  of  doing  that.  I 
expected  that  the  monitors  would  then  and  there  surround  me  and  pound 
the  shield  in,  but  when  all  the  Federal  vessels  had  passed  up  and  anchored 
four  miles  away,  then  I  saw  that  a  long  siege  was  intended  by  the  army  and 
navy,  which,  with  its  numerous  transports  at  anchor  under  Pelican  Island, 
were  debarking  nearly  ten  thousand  infantry.  Having  the 
example  before  me  of  the  blowing  up  of  the  "  Merrimac  " 
in  the  James  River  by  our  own  officers,  without  a  fight,  and 
their  being  caught  in  such  a  trap,  I  determined  by  an  unexpected  dash  into 
the  fleet,  to  attack  and  do  it  all  the  damage  in  my  power ;  to  expend  all  my 
ammunition  and  what  little  coal  I  had  on  board  (only  six  hours'  steaming), 
and  then,  having  done  all  I  could  with  what  resources  I  had,  to  retire  under 
the  guns  of  the  fort,  and  being  without  motive  power,  there  to  lie  and  assist 
in  repulsing  the  attacks  and  assaults  on  the  fort." 

The  unexpectedness  of  the  second  attack  is  well  illustrated  by  Admiral 
Farragut's  remark  at  the  time.  After  having  anchored,  all  hands  were 
piped  to  breakfast,  when  the  officer  on  duty  on  the  deck  of  the  "  Hartford," 
seeing  the  ram  slowly  heading  up  the  bay  for  the  Federal  fleet,  reported  the 
fact  to  Admiral  Farragut  while  he  was  taking  breakfast.  "  What !  is  that 


WITH  BUCHANAN  ON  THE  "TENNESSEE." 

so?"  he  inquired.  "Just  like  Buchanan's  audacity!  Signal  to  all  frigates 
to  immediately  get  under  way  and  run  the  ram  under,  and  to  the  monitors 
to  attack  at  once." 

The  greatest  injury  done  to  the  "  Tennessee  "  was  by  the  "  Chickasaw," 
commanded  by  Captain  G.  H.  Perkins.  Our  pilot,  in  pointing  it  out  to 

Captain  Johnson,  said :  "  That ironclad  is  hanging  to  us  like  a  dog, 

and  has  smashed  our  shield  already.  Fight  him  !  Sink  him,  if  you  can !  " 
The  "  Chickasaw  "  really  captured  the  "  Tennessee." 

Admiral  Buchanan  was  in  form  and  physique  one  in  a  thousand.  Up- 
right in  his  carriage,  he  walked  like  a  game-cock,  though  halting  in  his  gait 
in  later  years,  in  consequence  of  having  received  a  minie*  ball  in  his 
right  thigh,  while  commanding  the  "  Merrimac  "  in  the  first  ironclad  fight 
in  the  world.  It  was  while  he  stood  on  the  deck  after  sinking  the  "  Con- 
gress," that  he  was  shot  by  some  Federal  infantry  on  the  shore,  and  from 
1864  to  his  death,  in  1871,  he  was  very  lame  in  both  legs,  the  left  particu- 
larly, which  was  terribly  shattered  in  the  fight  when  on  the  "  Tennessee." 
He  always  complained  of  his  "  bad  luck  "  in  his  two  great  actions ;  in  the 
first  he  was  struck  down  at  the  moment  of  victory,  and  in  the  last  at  the 
moment  of  defeat.  At  sixty-two  years,  he  was  a  strikingly  handsome  old 
man ;  clean  shaven  and  ruddy  of  complexion,  with  a  very  healthy  hue,  for 
he  was  always  remarkably  temperate  in  all  his  habits.  He  had  a  high  fore- 
head, fringed  with  snow-white  hair ;  thin,  close  lips ;  steel  blue  eyes ;  and 
projecting  conspicuously  was  that  remarkable  feature  which  impressed 
everyone — his  strongly-marked  aquiline  nose,  high,  thin  and  perfect  in  out- 
line. When  full  of  fight,  he  had  a  peculiar  way  of  drawing  down  the 
corners  of  his  mouth  until  the  thin  line  between  his  lips  formed  a  perfect 
arch  around  his  chin. 

The  Confederate  torpedoes,  planted  at  the  entrance  to  Mobile  Bay,  were 

the  first,  and  were  very  primitive  in  their  construction — merely  a  large  beer 

keg,  filled  with  powder  and  anchored  by  chains  to  a  big, 

How  the  Confederates^  .  f  j  u  d  «  musliroom.»  Projecting  from 

Made  Torpedoes. 

the  swinging  top,  some  four  feet  under  water,  were  tubes 
of  glass,  filled  with  sulphuric  acid,  which,  being  broken,  fell  into  sugar  or 
starch,  causing  rapid  chemical  combustion,  and  finally  a  mass  of  fire,  thus 
exploding  the  powder.  They  had  been  planted  so  long  that  many  leaked, 
only  one  out  of  ten  remaining  intact,  and  this  fact  explains  why  so  many 
were  run  over  by  the  Federal  fleet  without  exploding. 

During  the  four  months  that  we  were  guarding  the  entrance  to  Mobile 
Bay,  we  were  not  by  any  means  safe  from  the  danger  of  our  own  contriv- 
ances. One  hot  July  morning,  we  officers  were  up  on  the  flat  deck  of  the 


WITH  BUCHANAN  ON  THE  "TENNESSEE." 


415 


ram,  enjoying  the  sea  breeze,  when  a  floating  black  object  was  observed, 
bobbing  up  and  down.  We  supposed  at  first  that  it  was  a  sort  of  devil-fish, 
with  its  young,  as  we  had  killed  one  with  its  "calf,"  only  a  few  weeks  pre- 
viously ;  but  the  motion  was  too  slow,  evidently.  A  telescope  soon  revealed 
the  fact  that  it  was  a  torpedo  drifting  in  with  the  flood  tide.  Here  was 
literally  the  "devil  to  pay."  We  could  not  send  a  boat-crew  after  it  to  tow 
it  out  of  the  way.  We  could  not  touch  it ;  we  could  not  guide  it.  There 
were  no  means  in  our  power  to  divert  it  from  it?  course.  Finally,  at  the 
suggestion  of  Captain  David  Rainy,  of  the  marines,  he  brought  up  his  whole 
guard,  with  loaded  muskets,  who  at  once  began  to  shoot  at  the  floating  keg 
and  sunk  it,  and  not  a  moment  too  soon  ;  for  it  only  disappeared  under  the 
water  about  twenty  feet  from  the  ram. 

As  this  sketch  is  confined  exclusively  to  operations  inside  the  "  shield  " 
of  the  ram  "  Tennessee,"  I  have  not  thought  it  germane  to  detail  anything 
in  relation  to  the  other  three  gunboats  of  the  Confederate  fleet,  which,  being 
wooden  vessels,  were  sunk  or  captured  early  in  the  first  action. 

It  may  be  interesting  to  state  the  cause  of  the  wound  received  by 
Admiral  Buchanan.  It  was  by  a  fragment  of  iron,  either  a  piece  of  solid 
shot  or  a  part  of  the  plating  of  the  tarn,  which  fractured  the  large  bone  of 
the  leg,  comminuting  it,  and  the  splintered  ends  protruding  through  the 
muscles  and  skin. 

The  admiral's  aides  were  Lieutenants  Carter  and  Forrest ;  they  tenderly 
nursed  him  during  the  entire  four  months  of  his  confinement  in  the  hospital 
at  Pensacola,  accompanied  him  to  Fort  Warren,  cared  for  while  him  there, 
and  brought  him  back  to  Richmond  after  his  exchange. 


416        HOW  THE  BATTLE  FLAGS  WERE  FURLED. 


HOW  THE  BATTLE  FLAGS  WERE  FURLED  AT 
APPOMATTOX. 

BY  WILLIAM  H.  STEWART. 

I  BELONGED  to  Malione's  old  brigade  of  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia. 
The  last  reveille  moved  our  brigade  from  the  line  of  battle,  where  the 
night  of  the  eighth  of  April,  1865,  was  spent,  after  the  hard  march 

from  Cumberland  Church.  After  a  march  of  a  few  miles,  a  halt  was 
ordered  on  the  now  famous  field  of  Appomattox,  just  as  the  sun  was  throwing 
his  curtains  of  crimson  and  gold  over  the  eastern  sky  and  while  the  newly- 
born  leaves  were  yet  burdened  with  dew. 

The  country  is  undulating,  and  an  elevated  position  brings  a  large  sec- 
tion within  view.  On  the  west,  the  Blue  Ridge  rose  in  its  morning  garb,  and 
on  the  east  a  broad  plateau  of  green,  here  and  there  broken  by  gradual 
elevations,  appeared  under  the  morning  mists. 

The  everlasting  artillery  was  thundering  in  front.  Gordon's  shattered 
columns  were  struggling  there,  endeavoring  to  re-open  a  path  of  retreat,  now 
closed  by  the  army  of  the  James  ;  Pickett's  magnificent  division,  which  had 
made  the  hills  of  Gettysburg  tremble  beneath  its  terrible  charge,  and  the 
world  stand  with  bated  breath  at  its  sublime  courage  and  matchless  heroism, 
had  been  overwhelmed  and  torn  asunder  at  Five  Forks  and  Sailor's  Creek, 
and  only  forty-seven  men  remained  for  duty.  Field's  and  Mahone's  divis- 
ions, "  staunch  in  the  midst  of  all  disasters,"  were  the  only  troops  ready  to 
be  brought  into  action  against  the  combined  armies  of  the  Potomac  and 
James,  numbering  probably  140,000  men. 

The  blue  lines  of  the  enemy,  like  a  huge  anaconda,  were  extending  their 
coils  to  the  right  and  left,  but  our  troops  were  ignorant  of  how  closely  they 
were  enfolded.  General  Gordon,  in  reply  to  a  message,  said  :  "  Tell  General 
Lee  I  have  fought  my  corps  to  a  frazzel,  and  can  do  nothing  unless  heavily 
supported  by  Longstreet's  corps."  On  receiving  this,  the  great  captain 
exclaimed  :  "  Then  there  is  nothing  left  me  but  to  go  and  see  General 
Grant,  and  I  had  rather  die  a  thousand  deaths."  He  had  only  7,892  infantry 
with  arms  upon  the  field. 

In  this  dire  emergency,  about  sunrise,  the  commander-in-chief  of  the 
armies  of  the  Confederate  States  summoned  to  hirr^  our  division  commander. 
General  Mahone  found  him  with  the  "Old  War  Horse,"  General  James 


HOW  THE  BATTLE  FLAGS  WERE  FURLED.  417 

Longstreet,  at  his  side.  The  staff  were  requested  to  retire,  and  the  three 
held  counsel  together  as  to  the  situation. 

Surrender  was  inevitable,  but  General  Lee  had  before  determined  that 
the  terms  must  be  such  as  he  felt  were  due  to  his  army  ;  that  the  soldiers 
should  not  be  sent  to  prison,  but  be  paroled  to  return  to  their  homes  ;  these 
must  be  the  terms,  or  fight  then  and  there  to  death.  He  was  resolved  to 
preserve,  untarnished,  the  honor  of  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia. 

When  the  last  council-of-war  was  over,  General  Lee  mounted  "  Trav- 
eler," his  war  horse,  saying  to  General  Longstreet,  "  You  take  care  of  the 
command,"  and  rode  off  to  see  General  Grant. 

General  Longstreet  sent  General  Mahone  to  take  command  of  the  rear 
left  flank.  Afterwards,  General  Lee  was  seen  standing  alone  in  the  direction 
of  Appomattox  Court  House,  near  the  celebrated  apple  tree,  with  his 
staff  near  by,  and  a  few  soldiers  in  the  vicinity  grouped  here  and  there. 
He  was  awaiting  a  messenger.  Soon  a  Federal  officer,  with  a  courier, 
came  galloping  from  the  enemy's  lines.  The  officer  dismounted  upon 
reaching  within  fifty  yards  of  General  Lee,  then  advanced 

on  foot,  and  when  within   fifty  feet,  took   off  his  hat  and    Preli"linari«s  of 

the  Surrender. 

placed    it   under   his   arm.     Colonel  Walter   H.  Taylor, 
A.  A.  G.,  advanced  and  bore  from  him   a  note  to  General  Lee.     A  message 
was  retu-rned,  whereupon  the  officer  replaced  his  hat  upon  his  head,  made 
for  his  horse,  and  rode  off  to  his  lines. 

Shortly  after  he  returned,  and  in  like  manner  approached  General  Lee 
and  delivered  to  Colonel  Taylor  another  note ;  upon  reading  this,  General 
Lee,  with  great  deliberation,  tore  it  into  many  pieces  and  threw  it  upon  the 
ground,  afterwards  pressing  the  pieces  into  the  earth  with  his  foot ;  a  mes- 
sage was  delivered  to  the  officer,  who,  in  like  manner  as  before,  made  his 
exit.  Soon  after  General  Lee  mounted,  and,  with  Colonel  Marshall  and  a 
courier,  rode  off  in  the  direction  the  officer  had  gone. 

It  was  then  that  the  two  opposing  commanders  first  met,  after  which 
they  retired  to  the  McLean  House,  where  the  terms  of  capitulation  were 
committed  to  writing.  The  reverence  displayed  by  the  Federal  officer  who 
bore  the  messages  to  General  Lee,  impressed  all  with  the  high  sense  of  the 
true  manly  propriety  of  that  officer.  I  have  been  informed  that  General 
Babcock  was  the  officer  who  was  so  courteous  to  our  commander. 

When  General  Mahone  returned  from  the  conference  the  command  was 
ordered  in  line  of  battle  ;  the  men  took  thefr  position  with  cheerfulness,  and 
words  ran  along  the  line,  "  Well,  we  will  get  a  chance  at  Sheridan  now,  and 
supply  Mahone's  foot  cavalry  with  horses."  Mahone's  men  cherished  an 
earnest  desire  to  get  hold  of  "  little  Phil ;"  they  had  driven  his  troopers 
v 


4i8        HOW  THE  BATTLE  FLAGS  WERE  FURLED. 

handsomely  at  Amelia  Court  House,  and  felt  that  they  could  now  finally 
wind  up  the  fierce  career  of  his  soldiers.  But  it  was  not  long  before  the 
spirit  which  had  never,  not  even  yet,  failed  this  noble  corps,  was  suddenly 
seized  with  suspicions  of  surrender.  A  cavalryman  had  galloped  across  the 
open  field  from  the  right  and  disclosed  the  startling  news,  but  they  had  little 
faith  in  his  tale.  They  were  actively  engaged  in  building  breastworks,  when 
the  order  was  passed  to  stop.  This  was  singularly  contrary  to  the  precau- 
tion which  had  always  governed.  The  cavalryman's  story  was  true,  the 
men's  hearts  sank  with  grief,  and  they  wept  like  children  over  a  mother's 
grave.  They  knew  all  was  over,  and  these  manifestations  of  sorrow  and  dis- 
tress sublimely  attested  their  fidelity  to  the  Southern  cause.  There  was  not 
a  man  in  the  command  who  did  not  prefer  fighting  to  surrender.  Like  the 
inhabitants  of  renowned  Carthage,  many  of  them  would  have  preferred  death 
rather  than  survive. 

On  that  last  march,  they  hoped  to  join  their  fortunes  with  General  Joe 

Johnston's  army  and  throw  all  in  the  scale  of  one  grand  trial  at  arms  with 

the  armies  of  Grant  and  Sherman,  thinking  by  generous 

The  Last  Courage-  emu]atiOn  and  rivalry,  and  one  determined  effort,  with  Lee 

ous  Hopes  of  the  .  . 

Confederates.      an"     Johnston    clasping    hands,    they   might    crush   the 

unwieldy  column  of  the  enemy;  but    Providence  ordained 

that  the  army  of  Northern  Virginia  should  fall  by  the  way-side,  gradually 

worn  out  by  attrition — and  thus  the  last  hope  of  the  Southern  soldier  fled 

forever. 

The  tenth  of  April  was  spent  by  the  soldiers  in  discussing  their  gloomy 
prospects  around  the  camp  fires ;  a  chilly  drizzling  rain  was  falling, 
but  foraging  the  immediate  surroundings  for  scant  food  continued,  as  their 
commissariat  had  been  long  exhausted,  and  the  Federals  were  unable  to 
supply  them.  Hunger  was  gnawing  sharply  in  their  breasts,  and  fortunate 
indeed  was  the  owner  of  a  few  grains  of  corn  or  a  small  piece  of  stale  bread. 
After  all  the  preliminaries  were  arranged,  and  General  Lee  had  issued  his 
farewell  order,  the  formal  surrender  was  made.  I  have  often  seen  pictures, 
in  school  books,  of  the  surrender  of  Lord  Cornwallis,  at  Yorktown,  but 
never  dreamed  that  I  should  realize  a  like  scene. 

Crawford's  division  was  drawn  up  on  a  hill  just  in  front  of  Appomattox 
Court  House,  Mahone's  division  marched  up  within  a  few  feet,  halted,  faced 
it  and  stacked  arms,  furling  the  proud  old  bullet-torn,  battle-smoked  flags 
across  the  stacks.  It  was  truly  a  sad  mission,  as  plainly  depicted  on  every 
countenance  in  our  ranks,  but  General  Grant's  chivalrous  terms  were 
awarded  the  highest  praise  from  all  the  captured. 

When  General  Lee  took  his  departure  the  soldiers  gathered  about  the 


THE  OLD  GRAY  COAT.  419 

roadside,  and  as  he  passed  through  the  broken*  and  unarmed  ranks  every 
head  was  uncovered  and  each  man  was  bidding  a  silent  adieu  with  bursting 
heart  and  overflowing  eyes.  Even  in  disaster  and  defeat,  all  his  manly 
characteristics  stood  out  in  his  very  appearance,  and  he  seemed  created  to 
inspire  love,  respect  and  enthusiasm.  His  soldiers  loved  him  with  a  deep 
and  sacred  affection  no  disaster  could  dampen  or  defeat  destroy.  After 
receiving  their  paroles  the  soldiers  formed  in  groups  and  marched  in  the 
direction  of  their  homes,  relying  upon  kind-hearted  citizens  to  supply  them 
with  rations  on  their  desolate  journey — a  journey  as  dreary  as  a  fugitive's 
through  dismal  avenues  shrouded  in  the  blackness  of  midnight  and  cur- 
tained on  either  side  with  the  sombre  forms  of  full  foliaged  shrubs  and 
trees — all  surroundings  as  black  as  death,  terrible  as  a  tornado,  and  almost 
as  awful  as  the  night  of  crucifixion. 


THE  OLD  GRAY  COAT. 

BY  WILLIAM  HARPER  BENNETT. 

THREE  days  before,  the  creaky  old  gates  of  the  college  had  swung 
open,  the  file  after  file  of  dusty,  blue-coated  soldiery'had  tramped 
between  the  twin  lodges  that  flanked  the  entrance.     Then  came 
the  quartermaster's  lumbering  vehicles,  and  that  night  a  white- 
walled  village  had  arisen  on  the  campus,  lighted  by  a  hundred  camp-fires. 

The  old  bell  high  up  in  the  college  belfry,  that  had  summoned  the 
students  to  their  daily  labors  and  had  tolled  out  the  Angelus  morning,  noon 
and  night,  for  nigh  a  hundred  years,  was  silent  now,  and  in  its  place  the 
brazen  notes  of  the  bugle  voiced  the  call  to  duty.  Outside  was  all  the 
bustle  and  noise  of  the  camp,  within  the  buildings  the  quiet  and  hush  of 
the  house  of  death. 

Some  days  previous  hurried  word  had  come  from  the  War  Department 
that  the  troops  would  occupy  the  college  grounds,  and  after  a  dozen  plots  to 
repel  the  "  invaders  "  had  been  discussed  and  cast  aside  as  impracticable,  by 
the  excited  and  angry  students  from  the  South,  the  break-up  had  come, 
until  now  there  remained  less  than  a  dozen  collegians  awaiting  remittances 
from  home  to  enable  them  to  depart. 

A  tall,  slight  student,  with  long,  dark  hair,  oval  face,  beardless,  save 
for  the  down  on  his  lip,  stood  by  an  open  window  of  the  study  hall,  gazing 
across  the  broad  Potomac  at  the  Virginia  hills,  bright  with  spring  sunslnne. 


420  THE  OLD  GRAY  COAT. 

At  the  sound  of  a  bugle-call  from  the  direction  of  the  camp  the  hot  blood 
dyed  his  olive  complexion  and  tears  of  anger  dimmed  his  large  dark  eyes. 

"  Vandals!"  he  muttered. 

"  Self-communing,  Al  ?"  inquired  a  fellow-student,  who  had  approached 
unperceived. 

"  Yes,  self-communing,"  replied  the  Southerner,  "  but  I  wish  that  I  had 
the  whole  world  for  an  audience.  I'm  cursing  these  invaders.  What  right 
have  they ?" 

"  The  right  of ,  but,  no !  You,  my  dearest  friend,  are  unkind  to 

me.  These  '  invaders,'  as  you  call  them,  are  the  soldiers  of  my  dear  State, 
New  York,  and  I  love  it  as  dearly  as  you  love  Louisiana, 

c  Al,   dear  friend,"  and  the  Northerner  grasped  his  coin- 

Friends.  '  . 

panion's  hand.  "Pray,  don't  forget  our* truce.  Don't 
forget  our  old  agreement  not  to  discuss  our  country's  sectional  troubles. 
We  can  never,  never  agree  on  that  subject,  Al.  For  three  years  the  coming 
storm  has  been  gathering  around  us,  but  our  truce  has  been  respected  until 
our  little  brush  just  now." 

"  Forgive  me,  Jim,"  pleaded  Albert  Lapointe,  "  but  it's  so  hard  to  see 
these  strangers  at  our  very  gates  and  to  be  oppressed  with  the  thought  of  what 
theii  corning  means.  In  a  few  days,  perhaps,  their  progress  southward  may 
be  marked  by  blazing  homes  and  a  desolate  country.  Ah  !  you  cold  North- 
erners love  your  section,  but  not  with  the  burning  devotion  of  our  warm 
Southern  natures.  The  thought  of  the  fate  that  may  be  in  store  for  every- 
thing that  I  love,  drives  me  frantic,"  and  the  youth's  lips  quivered  and  his 
eyes  were  suffused  with  tears. 

"  Don't  let  us  discuss  the  question  at  all,  Al,  that's  the  only  way  to  avoid 
a  rupture  between  us,"  replied  James  Rogers.  "  Have  you  heard  from  home 
yet?" 

"  I  have,  and  I  leave  for  the  South  to-night.  I'm  going  to  let  you  into 
a  profound  secret.  I  feel  guilty,  Jim,  old  friend.  I've  had  a  secret,  the  first 
one  I've  ever  had  that  you  did  not  share,  but,  you  know,  I  must  regard  you  who 
was  my  friend  an  enemy  now.  I'll  tell  you  all  about  it,  because  I  know  you 

love  me  too  well  to  betray  me  to  the  canai the  Yankee  soldiers  out 

there." 

"  I  think  you  may  safely  trust  me,"  answered  Rogers,  gravely. 

"  Then  come  with  me,"  said  Lapointe.  The  young  men  ascended  to 
the  deserted  dormitory.  When  they  reached  Lapointe's  bed  he  pulled  a 
package  from  beneath  the  mattress,  and  removing  the  covering,  disclosed  a 
new  gray  military  coat,  with  shining  brass  buttons  bearing  the  design  of  the 
pelican  and  her  brood. 


THE  OLD  GRAY  COAT.  421 

"  My  uniform,  Jim,"  said  Al,  proudly,  holding  it  up  for  his  friend's  in- 
spection. "  My  father  is  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  Thirtieth  Louisiana 
Infantry,  and  he  has  obtained  a  lieutenant's  commission  for  me.  I  had  this 
uniform  made  on  the  quiet,  in  the  city,  and  I  was  lucky  enough  to  find  our 
State  button.  Our  regiment  left  New  Orleans  some  days  ago  for  the  front,  and 
I  am  to  join  at  Richmond.  When  will  you  leave  for  home,  Jim  ?  " 

"  When  the  war  is  over,  Al.  I  shall  enlist  in  some  New  York  regiment, 
maybe  in  the  one  out  there  on  the  campus.  My  parents  will  object,  of  course, 
but  I  know  my  duty  to  my  country,  and ." 

"  The  truce,  Jim,  don't  forget  the  truce.  May  the  good  God  grant  that  we 
shall  never  cross  swords  on  the  battlefield.     It  is  hard,  Jim, 
oh,  so  hard,  that  two  of  the  staunchest,  the  most  loving  oi  ""ayGod  judge  Be - 

s,        tween  Thee  and  Me. 

friends  should  be  parted  by  that  awful   calamity,  a  civil 

war.  I  know  you're  too  much  of  a  Christian  to  laugh  at  me,  Jim,  but  I'd 
like  to  go  with  you  into  the  chapel  on  this  last  day  we  shall  be  together,  that 
we  may  ask  God  to  preserve  us  from  meeting  in  deadly  strife." 

*******  * 

Since  sunrise  the  treble  of  the  musketry  and  the  bass  of  the  artillery  had 
united  in  the  grand  chorus  of  battle.  At  no  place  on  the  field  had  the 
struggle  been  more  obstinate  than  in  a  patch  of  woodland  on  the  right  of 
the  Confederate  lines. 

The  Union  forces  had  wrested  the  position  from  their  opponents,  but 
had  only  held  it  a  short  time  when  the  shot  and  shell  from  the  Confederate 
batteries  on  the  high  ground  beyond  rendered  the  timber-land  less  tenable 
than  the  more  open  country.  When  the  rattling  fire  of  musketry  gave  way 
before  the  incessant  pounding  of  the  artillery,  the  long  gray  line  swung 
down  the  slope,  halting  again  and  again  to  pour  a  volley  in  the  direction  of 
the  foe.  Into  the  shadow  of  the  woodland,  dim  with  powder  smoke,  plunged 
the  men  of  the  Thirtieth  Louisiana.  Hundreds  were  lying  around,  horribly 
mutilated  by  the  shell  and  solid  shot,  and  here  and  there  lay  a  poor  fellow 
howling  with  agony,  pinned  to  the  earth  by  the  limb  of  a  tree  torn  from  its 
trunk  by  the  projectiles. 

"  Halt !" 

Just  a  moment's  breathing  spell  before  facing  the  dangers  in  front, 
dangers  revealed  by  the  jets  of  flame  that  pierced  the  murkiness. 

Bing! 

A  musket  ball  tore  splinters  from  the  trunk  of  a  tree  not  six  inches 
from  the  head  of  ^Lieutenant  Albert  Lapointe,  who  was  leaning  against  it. 

"  By  Jove,  Lieutenant !  That  bullet  came  very  near  to  making  a  hole 
in  your  head,"  laughed  a  merry  young  Louisianian. 


422  THE  OLD  GRAY  COAT. 

"  Close  shave,  The'ophile,"  assented  the  Lieutenant.  Then  there  arose 
above  roar  of  battle  the  nearby  clicking  of  the  musket  hammers,  followed 
by  the  crash  of  a  volley,  and  the  gray  line  moved  forward  cautiously  through 
the  blinding  sulphurous  smoke,  stumbling  over  the  fallen  and  the  obstruc- 
tions that  blocked  the  way. 

"  Water !     O,  for  the  love  of  God,  a  drop  of  water,"  groaned  a  young 

wounded  Union  officer,  propped  against  a  tree  trunk,  the  blood  trickling 

between   the  ringers  of  the  hand  he  pressed  to  his  side. 

°"n  e    °n  *  e     His  weak  voice  was  unheard,  and  the  gray  line  passed  by 

him. 

"  Albert !  Albert  Lapointe !"  gasped  the  wounded  man,  as  the  young 
officer  hurried  on.  Lapointe  heard  the  voice,  and,  turning,  he  bent  and 
gazed  at  the  quivering  form. 

"  Jim !  Jim  Rogers !  O,  my  God,  to  find  you  in  this  plight,"  and 
quickly  uncorking  his  canteen  he  held  it  to  Rogers'  lips. 

"  My  friend  !  My  brother  !  What,  what  can  I  do  to  relieve  you  ?"  he 
asked,  helplessly. 

"  Nothing,  nothing,  Al.  I'm  about  done  for,"  moaned  Rogers, "  O,  this 
pain,  this  agony  !" 

Backward  came  the  gray  line  in  dogged  retreat  before  the  never-flagging 
blaze  of  flame  in  front.  The  two  friends  were  left  between  the  lines. 

"  Go  !  Leave  me,  Al.  God  bless  and  protect  you,  brother.  This  pain 
won't  last  much  longer.  I'm — I'm — dying.  O,  how  cold  I  am."  Lapointe 
arose,  tore  open  his  coat,  pulled  it  off,  and  tucked  it  about  his  friend's  body 
as  carefully  as  would  a  loving  mother  around  an  infant.  Bending,  he  kissed 
Rogers  on  the  forehead.  One  last  long  look  through  tear-dimrned  eyes,  and 
then  he  crouched  low  and  hurried  in  the  direction  of  his  regiment. 
******** 

When  night  had  fallen,  and  only  the  moans  of  the  wounded  broke  the 
stillness  of  the  battlefield,  a  squad  of  Union  soldiers  entered  the  wood  and 
examined  the  bodies  of  the  dead  and  dying. 

"Quiet  now,  men,"  cautioned  the  commanding  officer,  "or  you'll  have 
that  hellish  battery  on  the  hill  yonder  dropping  shells  on  us." 

"  It  must  'a'  been  about  here  I  saw  the  lieutenant  tumble  over,  captain. 
I  sot  him  up  agin  a  tree,  an' — here  he  is,  jest  as  I  left  him.  We're  too  late, 
I  guess.  Seems  to  me  he's  a  goner." 

"  Here,  you  men  stand  about  me  to  shut  off  the  glare,  and  I'll  strike  a 
match,"  said  the  captain.  "Jove!  It  is  poor  Rogers.  Poor  boy!  and  a 
rebel's  coat  wrapped  around  him.  Good  !  The  heart  beats  yet.  Lift  him. 
Gently  now  !  Throw  away  that  old  gray  coat." 


THE  OLD  GRAY  COAT.  423 

"  Can't,  captain  !    He's  got  the  clutch  o'  death  on  it." 
"  Very  well,  let  it  be.     Careful  now,  mind  your  footing,  but  make  haste 
over  there  to  the  field  hospital.     We  may  be  able  to  save  him." 

******** 

"Another  of  the  old  boys  in  blue  laid  at  rest  to-day,"  sighed  CoLonel 
Rogers,  as  he  put  down  the  evening  paper  and  gazed  around  at  the  family 
group  in  the  cosy  sitting-room.  "  It  is  sad  to  realize  that  so  many  of  the 
vigorous  fellows  with  whom  one  touched  shoulders  thirty  years  ago  have 
answered  the  last  roll  call,  my  children." 

"Whose  death  caused  you  the  keenest  sorrow,  papa?"  asked  the 
colonel's  eldest  daughter. 

"  Well,  my  girl,  I  was  deeply  grieved  when  dear  old  '  Uncle  Billy,'  as 
we  called  General  Sherman,  died,  but  the  keenest  sorrow  I  felt  was  to  hear 
that  a  boy  in  gray  was  no  more. 

"  Ah  !  the  death  of  my  old  college  chum,  Albert  Lapointe,  was  a  terrible 
blow.  I  have  often  told  you  about  my  meeting  Lapointe  on  the  battlefield, 
where  I  was  lying  desperately  wounded,  and  how  he  stripped  the  coat  from 
his  back  for  my  comfort.  I  never  heard  anything  about  him  again  until 
Appomattox.  Of  course,  like  the  rest  of  the  Yankees,  I  was  jubilant  over 
the  surrender,  but  let  me  tell  you,  boys  and  girls,  I  was  full  of  sympathy  for 
the  brave  soldiers  of  the  South.  There  was  mourning  in  many  homes  in  the 
North,  but  down  in  the  southland  thousands  had  no  homes  in  which  to 
mourn  their  dead.  Everything — relatives,  friends,  homes,  possessions,  pros- 
pects— all  swept  away. 

"  After  the  preliminaries  of  the  capitulation  had  been  arranged,  I  hurried 
to  that  part  of  the  Confederate  camp  where  Lapointe's  regiment  was  quar- 
tered. I  found  there  only  a  handful  of  men.  I  asked  an  officer  to  tell  me 
where  I  could  find  Lieutenant  Lapointe. 

'  " '  In  the  wilderness,  sir,'  he  answered.     l  Lieutenant 
?h'J°r^  JuUClL   Lapointe  fell  with  his  face  to  the  foe.     I  wish  to  God,  sir, 

of  a  Vanished  Hand. 

that  I  was  lying  beside  him  this  day.' 

"  When  I  heard  the  fate  of  my  friend,  children,  I  grieved  as  if  I  had 
lost  a  beloved  brother. 

"  If  John  will  bring  down  the  cedar  case  from  my  wardrobe,  I  will  show 
you  a  hallowed  relic,  my  children." 

When  John,  the  eldest  son,  had  deposited  the  case  upon  the  table,  the 
veteran  unlocked  it,  removed  the  protecting  coverings,  and  took  out  a  worn 
and  weather-stained  blue  coat,  with  tarnished  buttons. 

"  This,  my  children,  is  the  coat  I  donned  in  '61,  when  I  enlisted.  You'll 
value  it  when  I'm  gone.  This,"  he  continued,  reverently,  lifting  a  shabby 


424  '  THE  DESERTER'S  STORY. 

coat  of  gray,  while  tears  glistened  in  his  eyes,  "  this  is  the  coat  that  my 
dear,  dead  friend,  Albert  Lapointe,  exhibited  so  proudly  to  me  in  the  college 
dormitory  ;  the.  coat  that  he  stripped  from  his  shoulders  to  protect  me  from 
the  cold  on  the  battlefield. 

"John,  my  son,  it  is  my  wish  that  you  place  it  beneath  my  head  when 
I  join  the  uivoi  _c  of  the  dead." 


THE  DESERTER'S  STORY. 

BY  LEIB  PORTER. 

IT  is  night,  and  a  dying  fire  makes  dimly  visible  the  interior  of  a  miser- 
able room.     Its  walls  and  floor  are  bare ;  a  bed  drawn  forward  for 
warmth,  a  table  at  its  foot,  and  a  low  splint-bottomed  rocking-chair 
before  the  hearth  complete  its  furniture.     Outside,  the  snow  is  falling 
fast  and  the  wind  moans,  while  at  intervals  a  dull  roar,  which  shakes  the 
hills  with  its  hollow  reverberation,  proclaims  that  darkness  has  not  entirely 
quieted  the  sounds  of  a   battle  which    has    been  raging   not  many  miles 
distant. 

A  woman's  figure  moves  upon  the  bed,  restlessly  but  feebly  ;  she  is  white 
and  wasted,  as  if  with  illness,  and  it  is  a  task  almost  beyond  her  strength  to 
lift  and  hush  the  wailing  child  lying  by  her  side.  Presently  she  rouses  her- 
self with  a  painful  effort  and  staggers  to  the  chair,  holding  her  baby  to  her 
breast.  Its  feeble  cries  are  stilled  and  soothed  by  the  slow  motion  of  her 
rocking  figure.  She  shivers  as  a  sudden  blast  shakes  the  cabin,  and  putting 
forth  all  her  strength,  lifts  a  log  of  wood  upon  the  fire.  The  effort  seems 
to  exhaust  her,  and  she  falls  back  white  and  gasping  ;  the  infant  slides  down 
upon  her  knees,  where  it  lies  sleeping.  Presently  life  seems  to  return  to  her 
a  little,  and  bending  forward  with  her  clasped  hands  resting  over  the  child, 
she  watches  the  fire-light  gleaming  on  her  wedding  ring,  and  words,  low  and 
tense,  escape  her  white  lips. 

"  All  day  I  have  heard  the  guns ;  the  battle  must  be  near.  Oh,  God !  if 
Jim  is  with  them  spare  him  to  come  to  me ;  let  me  see  him  once  more  before 
I  die,"  and  she  raised  her  clasped  hands  imploringly.  "Jim,  Jim,  I  have 
struggled  against  it  for  your  sake — for  the  sake  of  your  parting  prayer 
to  me.  I  have  fought  it  off  so  long.  I  promised  you  not  to  give  up,  I 
promised  to  live  for  you,  to  pray  for  us  both,  to  believe  that  God  would  pre- 
serve you  to  me,  that  he  would  let  us  meet  again  ;  but  I  can  struggle  no 
longer ;  my  strength  is  gone ;  the  shadows  are  closing  over  me,  and  I'm  too 


THE   DESERTER'S  STORY.  425 

weak — too  weak  to" her  voice  died  away  in  an  exhausted  whisper.  Then, 

as  the  child  upon  her  knees  stirred  slightly,  once  again  she  roused  herself. 
"  Oh,  bring  him  back  to  me  !  let  me  see  him  only  once  again, — let  me  see 
him  hold  his  child  and  kiss  it,  and  then  let  me  lay  my  head  on  his  breast 
and  die,  for  I  cannot  bear  this  torture  any  longer.  It  was  all  too  hard,  too 
hard  ;  I  tried  to  be  brave  for  your  sake,  Jim  ;  I  knew  it  broke  your  heart  tq 
leave  me,  just  one  month  married  and  yet  to  leave  me  all  alone, — it  broke 
your  heart,  my  poor  boy,  and  the  thought  of  you  and  your  last  words  held 
me  up,  they  gave  me  all  the  strength  I've  had.  I've  fought  against  it  for 
one  long  year — fought  against  it  until  now,  and  God  has  not  yet  brought 
you  back  !  Poor  Jim,  when  you  do  come  home  I  won't  be  here  to  meet 
you,"  and  low,  tearless  sobs  shook  her  frail  body. 

There  came  another  sound  beside  the  noise  of  the  storm  outside  the 
cabin,  a  sound  of  footsteps,  a  hand  upon  the  latch — the  door  was  pushed 
heavily  open,  letting  in  a  blinding  rush  of  snow  and  icy  air,  and  in  the 
midst  of  it  a  man's  figure  muffled  to  the  eyes  in  a  cloak.  He  closed  the 
door  and  dropped  the  heavy  garment  to  the  floor,  then  fell  on  his  knees 
beside  the  motionless  figure  in  the  chair. 

She  had  sat  as  still  as  stone,  with  the  look  in  her  face  of  one  who  sees 
a  spirit  of  the  dead  ;  but  at  his  touch,  the  blood  leaped  fronj  her  heart  to 
her  cheek,  and,  giving  a  cry  of  joy  so  sharp  that  it  rang  on  the  air  like  the 
keen  accent  of  pain,  she  fell  forward  on  his  breast.  For  many  minutes  they 
remained  without  sound  or  motion,  lost  in  the  rapture  of  their  reunion,  and 
only  the  raging  storm  outside  broke  the  deep,  midnight  stillness. 

At  last  he  drew  away  from  her  and  looked  into  her  face,  with  eyes  in 
which  a  great  fear  grew  and  deepened.  Where  were  the  fair  and  youthful 
features  he  had  left  behind  him, — where  the  bloom  and  brightness  ?  As  he 
gazed  he  seemed  to  trace  the  cold  and  blighting  finger  of  death  in  every 
line.  She  read  the  unspoken  anguish  in  his  eyes,  and  tenderly  kissing  him, 
said  : 

"  Dear  Jim,  I  am  very  happy.  God  has  been  good ;  he  has  heard  my 
prayer,  he  has  brought  you  back  to  me  once  more.  See,  dear,  your  baby; 
kiss  her,  Jim,  she  has  been  a  comfort  to  me.  I  think  she  will  be  a  pretty 
child."  She  broke  off  and  sank  back  against  the  chair,  exhausted  by  her 
effort  to  cheer  him. 

He  bent  and  kissed  the  child,  then  took  it  from  her  lap  and  laid  it  down. 
He  had  no  thought  beyond  the  woman  ;  his  face  was  set  and  hard,  his  eyes 
dry  and  tearless. 

"  Mary,"  he  whispered,  coining  close  to  her,  "  you  are  ill  and  weak  now, 
but  I  will  nurse  you  ;  health  will  come  back  again,  you  will  soon  get  strong, 


426  THE   DESERTER'S   STORY. 

for  my  sake,  promise  me,"  and  he  lifted  her  in  his  arms,  a  light  burden  that 
made  him  trem  ble,  and  placed  her  on  the  bed.  She  was  too  weak  to  speak, 
but  a  happy  look  was  on  her  face  and  in  the  eyes  turned  toward  his.  He 
went  on,  in  the  wild  hope  of  rousing  her : 

"  Shall  I  tell  you  how  I  come  to  be  with  you  now,  dearest  ?  Will  you 
be  glad  to  hear  how  I  have  passed  this  cruel  year  away  from  you  ?  "  He 
paused  anxiously,  and,  encouraged  by  a  faint  smile  from  her,  continued  :  "  It 
is  a  long,  long  story  of  marches  and  encampments  and  battles,  with  some- 
times victory  and  sometimes  defeat,  with  cold  and  hunger  and  fatigue  and 
many  hardships  ;  but  we  were  soldiers,  fighting  for  our  country's  good,  and 
we  did  not  complain.  The  hardest  of  all  to  bear  was  the  absence  from  home 
and  loved  ones,  without  the  power  to  send  or  get  one  word  of  news,  and  the 
longing  for  this  almost  broke  my  heart,  but  we  were  down  within  the  enemy's 
lines,  and  no  letter  could  pass  for  love  or  money.  I  was  twice  wounded, 
Mary,  and  in  the  hospital, — for  two  months  the  first  time  and  still  longer 
with  the  second  wound,  but  God  be  thanked  !  I  came  out  as  strong  as  ever." 

He  watched  her  anxiously  to  see  whether  this  mention  of  his  pain  and 
danger  would  rouse  her  to  some  show  of  grief,  but  though  she  heard  him, 
the  look  of  happiness  on  her  face  remained  undisturbed.  The  past  had  no 
longer  the  power  to  torture  her  ;  she  was  conscious  only  of  her  present  joy, 
and  of  the  close  approach  of  a  vast,  peaceful  future,  which  already  seemed  to 
overshadow  her.  He  knew  it  was  so — knew  it  though  he  crushed  back  the 
despair  into  his  heart  and  went  on  desperately,  with  shaking  voice  : 

u  When  I  joined  my  regiment  again  I  heard  with  such  joy,  Mary — for  it 
brought  me  near  to  you  at  last — that  all  our  available  forces  were  to  be  con- 
centrated at  L, to  await  the  enemy,  and  to  strike  what  was  hoped  would 

be  a  final  blow.  We  came  at  sunset,  after  a  severe  march,  and  met  other 
bodies  of  troops  that  had  already  arrived.  There  happened  to  be  among  the 
soldiers  a  boy,  just  recruited,  whom  I  knew — Tom  Harkness,  from  our  own 
town,  Mary,  and  he  told  me  all  the  home  news,  of  the  women's  suffering  and 
struggles  ;  and  he  told  me  of  you,  my  darling,  and  of  our  child,  and  that 
you  were  not  quite  well ;  in  fact,  had  been  ailing  for  some  time,  with  a  cough 
which  grew  worse,  and  that  it  was  thought  you  were  pining  for  a  sight  of 
me. 

"  What  he  said  just  seemed  to  take  away  my  senses — I  was  like  a  crazy 
man.  I  could  not  sleep  or  eat,  or  even  think  of  anything  but  you.  To  be 
so  near,  just  six  short  miles  away,  and  yet  not  see  you,  and  you  not  well  and 
longing  too  to  see  me,  and  to  think  how  we  had  been  parted  ever  since  our 
wedding  day  most,  without  a  word  or  line  to  break  the  long,  weary  time — 
oh,  God !  these  thoughts  drove  me  mad,  and  I  made  up  my  mind  to  do  a 


THE   DESERTER'S  STORY.  427 

desperate  thing.  I  took  a  vow  to  see  you,  darling.  I  planned  to  do  my 
duty  in  the  fight,  to  do  it  well  and  bravely  and  not  to  spare  myself ;  then,  if 
God  spared  my  life, — and  I  felt  in  my  heart  that  he  would— I  planned  to 
steal  away  and  run  the  six  miles  that  lay  between  us ;  just  to  come  to  you,  to 
look  at  you,  and  hold  you  in  my  arms,  and  kiss  you,  and  beg  you  to  keep  up 
for  my  sake, — for  me  who  loves  you  so,  that  if  anything  should  happen  that 
I  should  lose  you,  I  would  not  care  to  live,  Mary,  not  a  day  or  hour." 

He  spoke  with  desperately-restrained  passion;  but  a  faint  gesture  of  dis- 
sent from  her  stopped  the  words.  She  had  motioned  feebly  towards  the 
child,  though  her  eyes  never  wandered  from  his  face. 

"  No,  Mary,  not  even  for  her  sake.  You  are  all  my  life  to  me,  God 
must  not  take  you  from  me !  "  He  fell  on  his  knees  beside  her,  and  the 
agony,  long  repressed,  came  from  his  lips  in  passionate,  beseeching  words : 
"  God  has  brought  us  together,  He  must  not  part  us  again.  Oh,  Mary,  Mary  ! 
do  not  leave  me.  I  will  nurse  you,  care  for  you,  stay  beside  you  always, 

until  you  are  well  again.     My  love,  my "     His  voice  died  away,  frozen 

by  the  look  in  her  face.  An  unearthly  change  was  coming  over  it,  an 
unearthly  smile  of  tenderness  and  pity  looked  from  her  eyes.  With  her  last 
breath  she  held  out  her  arms  to  him,  whispering,  "  Poor  Jim  " — then  fell 
back,  dead. 

He  knelt  beside  her  like  a  figure  cut  in  stone,  watching  the  cold,  white 
marble  of  her  face,  and  he  seemed  no  more  to  move  or  breathe  or  be  possessed 
of  life  than  she,  lying  dead  before  him. 

****** 

A  sound  of  voices  outside;  the  snow  crunched  under  hurrying  feet ;  a 
rude  hand  upon  the  latch,  and  a  crowd  of  men  burst  into  the  room.  They 
stopped  suddenly,  as  their  eyes  met  the  sight  within,  and  fell  back  one  upon 
another.  At  last  one  man  advanced  timidly  from  among  his  comrades,  and 
touched  with  a  hesitating  hand  the  stony  figure  kneeling  by  the  bed.  It 
rose  and  turned  toward  him. 

"  Good  God !  Jim,  what's  come  to  you,  man,  to  make  you  look  like 
that  ?' '  and  a  hoarse  murmur  came  from  all  as  they  saw  the  havoc  made  in 
one  short  night  in  the  brave  young  face.  The  first  man  spoke  again : 

"  Jim,  old  comrade,  what  did  you  do  it  for  ?  You  know  the  punish- 
ment, man,  and  you  know  there  is  no  escape.  You  must  have  been  mad  to 
run  through  the  snow  and  leave  your  footprints,  clear  as  a  sign-board,  point- 
ing the  way  you  went."  He  paused  for  some  response,  but  receiving  none 
from  the  motionless  figure,  he  went  on  sadly: 

"  There  was  talk  of  your  brave  conduct  on  the  field,  and  the  colonel 
sent  for  you  ;  and  then  they  found  that  you  were  missing  and  others  beside 


428  THE   DESERTER'S  STORY. 

you.  When  the  colonel  heard  it  he  fell  into  a  great  rage  and  swore  you 
should  be  retaken,  and  the  others  also,  and  made  examples,  and  before  day- 
break parties  were  ordered  out  in  search  of  you  ;  and  Jim,  poor  fellow,  it 
was  a  straight  road  that  led  us  here.  It's  the  saddest  morning's  work  I've 
ever  done,  but  we  have  our  orders  and  you  must  come  along  with  us." 

Then,  with  sudden  hope,  another  friendly  voice  said  : 

"  Comrade,  it  may  not  be  so  desperate  after  all.  When  the  colonel 
hears  the  story  we've  got  to  tell  of  how  we  found  you,  and  when  he  knows 
how  well  you  fought  only  yesterday,  I  think  he  will  pardon  you,  Jim  ;  I 
think  he'll  not  let  the  sentence  be  death." 

At  last  a  sign  of  life  from  the  man  before  them.  Had  he  just  awakened 
to  the  meaning  of  the  words  they  spoke  ?  A  strange  gleam,  almost  of  joy, 
passed  across  his  face.  He  answered  nothing,  but  turned  and  bent  over  the 
still  figiire  on  the  bed,  and  spoke  to  it,  low  and  gladly.  They  caught  a  few 
words,  indistinctly.  They  saw  him  gently  kiss  the  cold  lips.  Then  he  rose 
and  advanced  toward  the  group,  leaning  on  their  guns.  At  this  moment 
a  baby's  plaintive  cry  struck  on  their  ears.  One  of  the  men  went  and  lifted 
the  infant  tenderly  in  his  arms,  but  the  father  took  no  notice;  his  face 
was  again  a  face  of  stone. 

They  marched  out  of  the  house,  a  silent,  awe-stricken  band,  with  sor- 
row in  all  their  hearts.  The  doomed  man  walked  in  their  midst,  and  his 
heart  was  torn  by  a  great  agony  which  made  him  dead  to  all  the  world 
around  him. 

It  was  all  in  vain.  The  colonel  was  much  moved  by  the  story  they  told 
him  and  by  his  respect  for  the  grief  of  so  brave  a  man,  but  there  could  be 
no  mitigation  of  the  sentence.  "  In  time  of  war  there  is  nothing  which  can 
excuse  the  deserter,  and  there  is  no  punishment  for  him  but  death." 

These  were  his  words,  and  the  time  was  fixed  for  the  execution  of  the 
sentence.  Unnerved  and  shaken,  a  few  of  his  comrades  went  to  take  their 
last  leave  of  Jim.  They  found  him  unchanged  ;  he  heard  them  without 
emotion ;  when  one  of  them  promised  to  take  the  baby  and  care  for  it  as 
his  own,  a  faint  look  of  gratitude  came  into  his  eyes,  just  fora  moment.  He 
shook  'hands  with  them  all  and  they  left  him,  much  distressed. 

At  sunset  he  was  led  out  and  shot.  Twenty  bullets  pierced  his  body. 
When  they  took  the  bandage  from  his  eyes,  they  wondered  at  the  look  of 
joy  on  his  dead  face. 

They  buried  them  together — Jim  and  Mary.  It  was  all  they  could  do 
for  him,  and  as  they  filled  in  the  earth  above  the  rude  coffins,  many  stern 
eyes  shed  tears  over  the  deserter's  dishonored  grave. 


THE   AUTHOR  OF    "MY   MARYLAND."  429 

THE  AUTHOR  OF  "MY  MARYLAND/' 

BY  EUGENE  L.  DIDIER. 

ON  the  nineteenth  of  April,  1861,  the  first  blood  of  the  Civil  War  was 
shed  in  the  streets  of  Baltimore.     Early  on  the  morning  of  that 
day  news  reached  the  city  that  several  regiments  of  Federal  troops 
were  to  pass  through  on  their  way  to  the  invasion  of  Virginia.     A 
sudden  uprising  <?f  the  Southern  sympathizers  resulted  in  a  fight  between 
the  soldiers  and  the  citizens,  in  which  five  of  the  former  and  twelve  of  the 
latter    were    killed.      When  this   startling  news  was  flashed  through  the 
country,  it  reached  a  young  Marylander,  who  was  a  professor  in  Poydras 
College,  at  Pointe  Coupee,  in  the  distant  State  of  Louisiana.     This  young 
Marylander  was  James  R.  Randall.     His  heart  was  fired,  and  after  a  sleep- 
less and  feverish  night,  he  arose  and  wrote  u  My  Maryland."     The  poem 
was  sent  to  the  New  Orleans  Delta,  at  that  time  one  of  the  leading  news- 
papers of  the  South.     It  was  soon  published,  and  James  R.  Randall,  like 
Lord    Byron,    "awoke   one   morning   and  found ,  himself 
famous.1'     "  My  Maryland  "  became  the  favorite  war  song       The  Favorite 

of  the  South.     Under  its  inspiring-  influence  thousands  of 

of  the  South. 

young  men  rushed   forward  to  die.     It  roused  the  "  chiv- 
alry "  of    Maryland — a   people   ever  open  to   ' '  the  intoxication  of   sweet 
sound" — and    added    10,000   soldiers    to    the    Confederate   army.      Milton 
received  five  pounds  for  "  Paradise  Lost,"  Poe  received  ten  dollars  for  "  The 
Raven,"  but  Randall  did  not  receive  one  cent  for  "  My  Maryland." 

With  the  other  Southern  youths,  young  Randall  rushed  headlong  into 
the  war,  and  showed  a  practical  as  well  as  poetical  interest  in  the  Southern 
cause.  After  the  first  battle  of  Manassas,  when  Beauregard's  army  was 
expected  to  march  on  Washington,  the  Maryland  secessionists  were  said  to 
be  taking  active  measures  for  joining  the  Southern  Confederacy.  An  extra 
session  of  the  Legislature  was  called,  and,  as  a  majority  of  its  members  were 
secessionists,  it  was  generally  believed  that  they  intended  to  precipitate  the 
State  into  the  Rebellion.  When  Randall  heard  this,  he  wrote  his  second 
war  song,  "There's  Life  in  the  Old  Land  Yet."  But  the  "life  in  the  old 
land  "  was  soon  quenched  by  the  arrest  and  imprisonment  of  the  secession 
members  of  the  Maryland  Legislature,  after  which  "  My  Maryland  "  and 
other  Southern  songs  were  suppressed. 

When  Pelham,  the  wonderful  boy  cannoneer,  was  killed  in  an  inglorious 
night  skirmish,  fighting  as  a  cavalryman,  Randall's  muse  was  once  more 


430 


THE   AUTHOR   OF    "MY   MARYLAND.1 


inspired,  and  lie  sang  an  "  In  Meinoriam  "  of  the  "  Young  Marcellus,"  full 
of  beauty  and  pathos.  "  Arlington "  finished  our  poet's  quartette  of 
Southern  songs.  I  quote  the  following  verse  from  "  My  Maryland,"  as  a 
specimen  of  this  spirited  lyric: 

Hark  to  an  exiled  son's  appeal, 

Maryland! 
My  mother  State,  to  thee  I  kneel, 

Maryland!  I 

For  life  and  death,  for  woe  and  weal, 
Thy  peerless  chivalry  reveal, 
And  gird  thy  beauteous  limbs  with  steel, 

Maryland!     My  Maryland! 

The  story  of  how  the  poem  was  set  to  music  and  adopted  as  a  Southern 
war-song,  forms  a  romantic  and  interesting  incident  of  the  Civil  War.  The 
music  at  first  chosen  was  Frederic  Herat's  "  Ma  Norma- 
A  Romantic  die,"  but  that  was  soon  "swept  away,"  to  use  Mr.  Ran- 
dall's own  language,  when  the  lovely  German  lyric, 
"  Tannenbaum,  O  Tannenbaum,"  was  selected  as  a  more 
spirited  air.  Shortly  after  the  battle  of  Manassas,  General  Beauregard 
invited  several  Maryland  ladies,  who  were  living  in  Virginia,  to  visit  his 
headquarters,  near  Fairfax  Court  House.  The  ladies  and  their  escorts 
encamped  the  first  night  at  Manassas,  where  they  were  serenaded  by  the 
famous  Washington  Artillery,  of  New  Orleans.  The  boys  in  gray,  at  the 
close  of  the  serenade,  called  for  a  song  from  the  ladies,  and  Miss  Jennie 
Gary,  standing  at  the  door  of  the  tent,  sang  "  My  Maryland."  The  refrain 
was  quickly  caught  up  by  the  soldiers,  and  the  camp  rang  with  the  words, 
"  Maryland,  my  Maryland."  As  the  last  notes  died  away,  the  wild  Confed- 
erate yell  was  given,  with  "  three  cheers  and  a  tiger  for  Maryland."  A  spec- 
tator of  the  scene  relates  that  there  was  not  a  dry  eye  in  the  ladies'  tent  and 
not  a  cap  with  a  rim  on  it  in  camp.  This  is  how  "  My  Maryland  "  came  to 
be  adopted  as  a  national  war-song  of  the  South. 


Incident  of 
the  Civil  War 


AFTER   MANY  YEARS.  431 

AFTER  MANY  YEARS. 

BY  A  UNION  VETERAN. 

IN  the  spring  of  1864,  I  was  a  member  of  an  organization  attached  to 
General  Kautz's  division  of  cavalry,  and  participated  in  his  great 
Southside  raid. 

On  the  afternoon  of  May  7,  we  reached  Stony  Creek,  Sussex  County. 
Va.,  situated  on  the  Petersburg  Railroad,  about  twenty  miles  south  of 
Petersburg  city.  We  found  the  place  fortified  and  quite  strongly  garrisoned, 
but  after  a  sharp  little  fight  which  lasted  about  an  hour,  succeeded  in  routing 
the  enemy  and  capturing  the  place. 

Fifteen  years  later,  business  called  me  to  Virginia,  and  on  the  afternoon 
of  December  14,  1879,  I  stepped  from  a  train  at  Stony  Creek,  and  set  out  on 
foot  for  Parham's  store,  distant  five  miles,  my  destination.  I  took  the  road 
leading  eastward,  as  directed  by  the  station  agent,  and  half  a  mile  on  my 
way  came  to  where  it  forked,  and  here  halted,  being  puzzled  as  to  which 
was  the  route  for  me  to  follow.  In  my  dilemma  I  looked  about  and  dis- 
covered a  horse  and  cart  approaching  from  the  direction  of  the  station,  the 
same  being  driven  by  a  white  man.  Accordingly  I  waited  for  him,  in  order 
to  inquire  my  way.  As  he  drew  near  I  perceived  that  the  horse  was  old  and 
lean,  the  cart  rickety  and  dilapidated,  and  the  driver,  a  man  apparently 
about  thirty-eight  years  of  age,  thin  and  poorly  clad.  A  thick  matted  beard 
of  light  red  color  covered  his  entire  face.  Altogether,  the  whole  outfit  was 
about  the  worst  I  had  ever  seen.  The  cart,  covered  with  small  particles  of 
cotton,  showed  plainly  that  hauling  that  commodity  was  the  work  to  which 
it  was  then  being  put. 

u  Stranger,  can  you  inform  me  which  road  leads  to  Parham's  store?"  I 
asked  of  the  driver,  as  he  drew  near. 

"  This  one  to  the  right,"  he  replied,  driving  by  me,  and  turning  into  the 
same  himself. 

I  followed  along  behind  the  cart  for  about  a  minute,  when  the  driver, 
accosting  me,  said : 

"  Say,  pard,  I  go  a  right  smart  ways  on  the  road  to  Parham's  myself, 
and  if  you  are  not  afraid  of  getting  cotton  all  over  your  clothes,  you  may 
jump  in  and  ride  with  me." 

As  much  for  the  sake  of  having  company  as  for  the  benefit  to  be  derived 
from  the  ride,  I  accepted  his  invitation  and  cprang  into  the  cart,  taking  a 


432  AFTER   MANY  YEARS. 

seat  on  the  edge  of  the  high  box,  the  driver  being  seated  down  on  the  bot- 
tom of  the  vehicle. 

44  I  reckon  you're  a  stranger  hereabouts,"  said  my  companion,  as  I 
seated  myself. 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  am,"  I  replied. 

44  Whereabouts  do  you  belong  ?" 

"  In  the  State  of  New  York." 

44  I  reckon  you  was  never  at  Stony  Creek  before  ?  " 

"  Yes,  once  before." 

"  When  ?" 

44  If  I  recollect  aright,  it  was  on  the  seventh  day  of  May,  1864." 

44  What,  pard,"  now  ejaculated  my  companion  in  astonishment,  "  was 
you  one  of  Kautz's  men  ?  " 

14  Yes,  sir,  I  was." 

44Why,  I  was  there  myself,  that  day,"  declared  the  Virginian,  enthusiast- 
ically, "so  let's  shake,"  putting  up  his  hand,  which  I  cordially  grasped. 

44  So  you  was  one  of  Kautz's  Yankee  raiders  ?"  he  continued,  still 
retaining  his  hold  on  my  hand.  "  Well,  well,  believe  me,  I  am  right  glad 
to  meet  you,  though  you  made  us  run  right  smart  that  day,  and  for  forty 
hours  I  hid  in  the  swamp  above  here,  on  the  Nottaway,  to  escape  being 
made  a  prisoner,  while  you  were  prowling  hereabouts.  Well,  Yank,  how 
have  you  been  making  it  since  the  war  ?" 

44  Only  just  fairly,"  I  replied;  44how  has  it  been  with  yourself?" 

44  Poor,  pretty  poor,  pard.  You  see,  my  people,  who  were  reckoned  some 
consequence  before  the  war,  lost  all  they  possessed,  about  forty  thousand 
dollars,  by  the  same.  Therefore,  when  the  trouble  ended  I  had  nothing 
but  my  hands  to  depend  on.  My  health  was  bad,  and  I  had  not  been 
accustomed  to  labor.  However,  I  did  the  best  I  could  under  the  circum- 
stances, and  by  hard  work  have  managed  to  get  a  few  acres  of  cotton  land, 
on  which  I  do  my  utmost  to  make  an  honest  living.  But  times  are  hard, 
and  I  tell  you  I  have  had  a  right  smart  struggle  to  get  along.  Yes,  my 
people  lost  forty"  thousand  dollars,"  he  continued,  44  but,  Yank,  that  is  all 
right,  and  I  lay  up  nothing  against  you  or  any  one  else.  We  each  fought 
manfully  for  what  we  considered  was  just,  and  as  manfully  must  we  abide 
by  the  consequences.  But,  darn  me,  Yank,  it  just  does  me  a  heap  of  good 
to  meet  one  with  whom  I  have  stood  face  to  face  in  battle,  though  we  were 
enemies  at  the  time,"  and,  impulsively  seizing  my  hand  again,  he  shook  it 
heartily. 

Just  then  a  dilapidated  carriage,  containing  two  men,  drove  up  behind 
us,  and,  looking  around,  my  companion,  addressing  the  driver,  exclaimed  : 


GENERAL  E.  KIRBY  SMITH.  433 

"  Good  day,  Jim  ;  say,  who  do  you  reckon  I  have  got  here  with  me  ?" 

"  Haven't  the  least  idea,"  answered  the  man  addressed. 

"  Well,  I  have  one  of  Kautz's  d d  Yankees,  right  from  the  North, 

and  a  tolerable  good  fellow  he  seems  to  be,  too." 

Jim,  it  appeared,  had  also  been  in  the  fight  at  Stony  Creek,  consequently 
he  was  also  greatly  surprised  to  meet  me,  and  he,  too,  expressed  his  delight 
in  language  warm  and  forcible. 

By  this  time  we  had  reached  the  point  where  I  was  to  turn  off  and  pro- 
ceed southward,  my  companions'  route  taking  them  straight  ahead  toward 
Sussex  Court  House. 

On  parting  with  the  two  ex-Confederates,  both  shook  my  hand  warmly, 
and  insisted  that  I  should  visit  them  before  I  returned  North. 

As  they  drove  off,  the  one  with  whom  I  had  ridden,  and  whose  name 
I  regret  I  cannot  recall,  in  a  husky  tone  of  voice,  and  with  tears  actually 
glistening  in  his  eyes,  exclaimed,  waving  his  hand  at  me : 

"  Good-bye,  Yank,  and  God  bless  you  and  grant  you  a  safe  return  to 
your  friends  and  home." 

Wishing  him  a  return  "  God-speed,"  I  turned  and  walked  away,  feeling 
the  tears  also  wet  on  my  own  cheek. 

Never  in  all  my  life  have  I  met  with  a  man  who  treated  me  as  royally 
as  this  man  did.  Though  poor,  ragged  and  uncouth,  he  was  one  of  Nature's 
noblemen — generous,  kind  and  brave,  and  by  me  our  meeting,  after  many 
years,  will  never  be  forgotten. 


GENERAL  E.  KIRBY  SMITH. 

BY  GEORGE  P.  NORTHROP. 

GENERAL  EDMUND  KIRBY  SMITH,  the  last  of  the  Confederate 
generals,  has  followed  his  old  comrade,  Beauregard,  with  but  short 
delay.     His  noble  spirit,  on  the  afternoon  of  March  28,  passed  into 
the  mystery  of  death,  to  rest  forever  with  his  ancient  friends  and 
foes,  all  in  camp  around  the  headquarters  of  the  Supreme  Commander. 

He  was  one  of  the  most  beloved  leaders  of  the  lost  cause.     He  had  been 

the  last  hope  of  many  an   old,  scarred  soldier,  who,  after  the  surrender  of 

Johnston,    immediately  started  for  the  West.     Where ?      "I    join   Kirby 

Smith,  and  fight  it  out   to   the   end  with  him."     These  words  express  the 

28 


434  GENERAL  E.  KIRBY  SMITH. 

confidence  held  by  the  boys  in  gray  for  General  Smith.  Many  and  many  a 
poor  fellow,  without  home,  fortune,  or  family,  said  these  words,  and  started 
to  join  "  Kirby  "  Smith  during  those  dark  days,  when,  after  so  much  hard 
fighting,  their  indomitable  spirits  could  not  remain  quiet  and  submit  to  the 
inevitable  evils,  as  they  thought,  of  that  peace  for  which  they,  had  sacrificed 
their  all. 

The  pure  life,  martial  achievements,  civic  virtues,  and  stainless  career, 
crown  him  as  one  of  the  foremost  Americans.  He  was  above  all  an  Ameri- 
can. He  exemplified  it  by  his  brilliant  services  and 
A  Man  of  s**^'n£  imperishable  deeds  performed  in  the  Mexican  War,  where 
his  valor  wreathed  a  chaplet  of  fame  around  his  brow, 
and  his  name  is  written  across  the  pages  of  that  epoch  to  remain  bright  and 
undimmed  for  all  time.  In  the  Titanic  struggle  he  was  one  of  the  first  to 
shed  his  blood  for  his  belief.  His  was  the  very  last  order  issued  in  that  fatal 
conflict.  When  invested  with  plenary  authority,  he  did  not  abuse  the  power. 
As  a  civic  ruler  and  as  military  commander,  it  is  doubtful  in  which  he 
excelled.  His  record  in  both  capacities  is  matchless  for  ability  and  integ- 
rity. His  thorough  honesty  and  clean  comportment  challenge  admiration 
from  posterity.  Since  the  war  he  was  ever  intent  upon  any  measure  which 
tended  to  benefit  his  people,  or  to  make  more  prosperous  the  America  that 
he  loved — one  and  united. 

Edmund  Kirby  Smith  was  born  in  St.  Augustine,  Florida,  May  16, 
1824.  His  father  was  Joseph  L.  Smith,  first  Presiding  Judge  of  the  United 
States  Circuit  Court  for  the  Eastern  District  of  Florida,  but  formerly  he  was 
a  lawyer  of  prominence  at  Litchfield,  Connecticut.  He  had  also  been  in  the 
United  States  Army.  Edmund  and  another  brother,  Ephraim,  were  sent  to 
West  Point,  and  were  graduated  from  that  place.  The  latter  fought  in  the 
Mexican  war,  and  was  killed  at  the  storming  of  the  City  of  Mexico. 

Edmund  was  admitted  to  West  Point  in  1841,  and  was  commissioned, 
upon  his  graduation,  in  1845,  a  brevet  second  lieutenant  of  the  Fifth  Infantry. 
He  was  almost  immediately  assigned  to  duty  under  General  Taylor,  and 
participated  in  all  old  Zach's  engagements  in  Mexico,  except  Buena  Vista. 
After  Taylor's  last  battle  he  was  transferred  to  General  Scott's  command, 
fighting  in  every  battle  in  which  his  commander  led  him.  Smith  was  twice 
brevetted  for  distinctive  gallantry — at  Cerro  Gordo  and  at  Contreras.  He 
attained  the  full  rank  of  captain  for  his  Mexican  service.  After  peace  was 
declared  Captain  Smith  was  transferred  to  West  Point,  where  he  remained 
for  three  years  as  assistant  instructor  of  mathematics.  He  then  served  under 
Major  Emory  on  the  Boundary  Commission,  to  locate  and  determine  the  line 
between  Mexico  and  the  United  States. 


GENERAL  E.  KIRBY  SMITH.  435 

Upon  the  organization  of  cavalry  regiments,  he  was  assigned  to  the 
Second  Regiment  as  captain,   and   was  ordered  to  Texas,  where  he  did 
splendid    fighting   against   the    Comanche    Indians.       He 
served  along  the  frontier  until  the  spring  of  1861.     In     ,  Smith  as  an 

Indian  Fighter. 

January  of  that  year  he  was'  commissioned  a  major,  but 

when  Florida  seceded  he  resigned,  April  6.  For  hip  services  in  Texas  he 
received  the  thanks  of  their  Legislature  by  a  special  act  of  that  body. 

His  reputation  being  made,  and  valued  by  the  Confederate  leaders,  he 
was  commissioned  major  of  cavalry,  and  immediately  after  was  made  lieu- 
tenant-colonel of  Van  Dorn's  cavalry.  Before  he  could  join  his  command 
he  was  set  to  work  at  Lynchburg,  Virginia,  to  organize  the  recruits  gathered 
there.  Here  "Joe  "  Johnston  found  him,  and  made  him  his  adjutant-general, 
and  took  him  to  Harper's  Ferry.  While  acting  as  adjutant-general,  he  was 
promoted  a  brigadier-general,  and  was  assigned  to  a  brigade  of  Johnston's 
corps.  General  Smith  made  himself  felt  early  in  the  war.  When  the  battle 
of  Bull  Run  was  fought  he  marched  thirty  miles  to  join  in  the  movement, 
and  he  arrived  at  such  an  opportune  time  that,  with  Kershaw,  he  succeeded 
in  changing  the  current  of  the  battle.  During  the  last  charge  he  was  so 
severely  wounded  that  he  was  forced  to  retire  from  the  field.  He  was  carried 
to  the  residence  of  Colonel  John  R.  McDaniel,  of  Lynchburg,  where  he  was 
nursed  back  to  health  by  the  colonel's  beautiful  daughter.  As  the  young 
general  (thirty-seven  years  old)  regained  his  health  he  lost  his  heart,  and  the 
romance  had  the  happy  ending  that  attached  itself  to  so  many  similar  events 
of  the  war.  He  became  a  benedict  and  a  major-general  at  the  same  time. 

Upon  his  complete  recovery  he  was  sent  to  East  Tennessee,  where  he 
took  command  of  the  detached  right  wing  of  Bragg's  army.  In  February, 
1863,  President  Davis  sent  him  to  relieve  Holmes,  in  com- 


mand  of  the  Trans-Mississippi  Department.     Though  at  "  * 


that  time  this  was  a  position  of  considerable  leisure,  it  soon 
became  one  of  great  importance.  Grant's  victories  at  Vicksburg  and  along 
the  Mississippi  had  effectually  cut  the  Confederacy  in  two,  and  communica- 
tion between  Richmond  and  Smith's  headquarters  was  so  irregular  that  it 
became  necessary  for  the  Confederate  Congress  to  endow  Smith  with  greater 
powers  and  a  higher  rank  even  than  that  of  major-general.  He  was  made 
full  general,  becoming  thus  the  sixth  officer  of  the  Confederacy  to  hold  that 
rank,  the  others  being  Cooper,  Joe  Johnston,  Robert  E.  Lee,  Beauregard, 
and  Braxton  Bragg,  in  the  order  named. 

His  department  included  Texas,  Louisiana,  Arkansas  and  Indian  Terri- 
tory. Here  he  organized  a  government  complete  in  every  detail.  He  made 
and  kept  open  his  communications  with  Richmond  by  running  the  blockade 


436  A  LIFE  SKETCH  OF   GEORGE   DEWEY. 

at  Galveston,  Texas,  and  into  Wilmington,  North  Carolina.  He  sent  con- 
stantly large  quantities  of  cotton  to  the  Confederate  agents  abroad,  and 
introduced  all  kinds  of  machinery  from  England  and  France.  He  estab- 
lished factories  and  furnaces,  opened  mines,  made  powder  and  gun-castings, 
and  had  made  his  district  self-supporting  and  of  itself  a  powerful  nation  in 
the  incredibly  short  time  of  two  years.  He  refused  to  surrender  until  long 
after  Lee  and  Johnston  had  laid  down  arms.  In  1864  ^e  opposed  and 
defeated  General  N.  B.  Banks  in  the  memorable  Red  River  campaign. 

After  he  laid  down  his  arms  he  became  President  of  the  Atlantic  and 
Pacific  Telegraph  Company  in- 1866-68,  and  later  Chancellor  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Nashville  in  1870-75,  and  subsequently  had  the  chair  of  mathematics  in 
the  University  of  the  South,  Sewanee,  Tennessee.  Sewanee  is  the  West  Point 
of  the  South.  The  curriculum  and  high  degree  of  proficiency  attained 
there  equals  that  of  the  famous  Hudson  River  school  for  soldiers. 


A  LIFE  SKETCH  OF  GEORGE  DEWEY. 


Story  of  the  Great  Admiral  Whose   Heroism  has  Won  the  Praise 

of  the  World. 

IT  is  always  the  unexpected  that  happens.  While  all  eyes  in  this 
country  were  turned  to  Cuban  waters  and  speculation  was  rife  as  to 
when  the  Spanish  fleet  would  make  its  appearance  and  give  battle; 
while  people  on  the  New  England  coast,  and  New  Jersey  as  well,  were 
digging  holes  in  the  ground  and  hiding  their  valuables,  the  drama  of  the 
war  unfolded  itself  in  the  far  off  South  Pacific;  the  curtain  was  rung  up  and 
the  Real  Hero  of  the  conflict  made  his  initial  bow  to  the  American  people. 
The  navy  has  always  been  the  favorite  branch  of  our  service  militant,  and 
while  Admirals  Gherardi,  Bunce,  Meade,  Sicard  and  Captains  Evans,  Schley, 
Sampson,  Taylor  and  a  few  others  were  more  or  less  familiar  by  name,  that 
of  Dewey  could  not  have  been  told  by  one  person  in  a  hundred  prior  to 
May  2,  1898.  Even  when  on  January  3,  1898,  a  cable  message  was  received 
at  the  Navy  Department  from  Commodore  George  Dewey,  reporting  that  he 
had  taken  command  of  the  Asiatic  naval  station  at  Nagasaki,  Japan,  no 
public  comment  was  caused.  Dewey  at  that  time  was  riot  a  name  to  con- 
jure with.  In  this  connection  it  is  worth  while  to  state  that  Commodore 
Dewey  was  the  first  officer  to  command  a  squadron  who  had  not  hoisted  an 


A  LIFE  SKETCH   OF  ^GEORGE   DEWEY.  437 

admiral's  pennant.  Heretofore  all  commodores  assigned  to  flag  command 
had  had  the  rank  of  acting  rear-admiral  given  them.  Secretary  Long  had 
decided  that  this  was  unnecessary,  and  directed  that  officers  should  have  the 
rank  and  title  of  their  actual  grade  in  the  service. 

It  was  reserved  for  the  march  onward  of  human  events,  to  bestow  upon 
Commoclpre  Dewey  the  specially  created  rank  of  admiral,  the  highest  held 
in  the  United  States  service. 

1.  Thomas  Dewey  came  from  Sandwich,  Kent,  England,  in  the  year 
1633,  to  Dorchester,   Mass.     He  removed  about   1638  to  Windsor,  Conn., 
where,  on  March  22, 1638,  he  married  the  Widow  Frances 

Clarke.     He  died  at  Windsor,  April  27,  1648.  .5enCa'°Ky  °f 

Admiral  Dewey. 

2.  Josiah  Dewey,  born,  1641,  settled  first  at  Westfield, 

but  subsequently  removed  to  Lebanon,  Conn.  He  married  in  1662  Hepzibah 
Lyinan. 

3.  Josiah  Dewey,  of  Lebanon,  Conn.,  born,  1666. 

4.  William  Dewey,  of  Lebanon,  Conn.,  born,  1692  ;  died,  1759. 

5.  Simeon  Dewey,  of  Lebanon,  Conn.,  born,  1718  ;  died,  1751. 

6.  William  Dewey,  settled  at  Hanover,  N.  H.,  born,   1746;  died,  1813. 

7.  Captain  Simeon  Dewey,  of  Berlin,  Vt,  born,  1770  ;  died,  1863. 

8.  Dr.  Julius  Y.  Dewey,  of  Montpelier,  Vt,  born,  1801  ;  died,  1877. 

9.  Admiral  George  Dewey,   born,    1837,   in    Montpelier,  Vt.,  and  was 
appointed  to  the  Naval  Academy  from  his  native  State  when  he  was  seven- 
teen years  old.     When  he  graduated,  in  1858,  he  went  with  the  steam  frigate 
"  Wabash  "on  a  cruise  with  the  Mediterranean  Squadron,  which  lasted  until 
1859.    Hnsign  Dewey  was  at  home  when  Fort  Sumter  was  fired  upon.    Just 
one  week  later,  April  19,  1861,  he  received  his  commission  as  a  lieutenant. 
He  was  assigned  at  once  to  the  steam  sloop  "  Mississippi,"  which  was  to  form 
part  of  the  West  Gulf  Squadron.     The  "  Mississippi "  was  a  side-wheeler  of 
seventeen  guns,  and  was  commanded  by  Commander  McLancthon  Smith. 
The  "  Mississippi  "  was  with  the  squadron  when  it  ran  past  New  Orleans  on 
the  way  back.     Later  on  she  was  knocked  to  pieces  and  blown  up  by  the 
powerful  batteries  at  Port  Hudson. 

In  186-3  Dewey  was  on  the  gunboats  that  engaged  the  Confederates  at 
Donaldsonville  (just  above  New  Orleans  on  the  west  bank  of  the  river). 
In  1864  he  was  attached  to  the  North  Atlantic  blockading  squadron,  assigned 
to  the  gunboat  "Agawatn."  At  the  close  of  the  Civil  War  Dewey  served 
on  the  European  Squadron,  first  on  the  "  Kearsarge "  and  then  on  the 
frigate  "  Colorado." 

In  1868  he  was  assigned  to  duty  at  the  Naval  Academy.  In  1870  he 
received  his  first  command,  that  of  the  "  Narragansett,"  which  was  employed 


438  A   LIFE   SKETCH    OF   GEORGE   DEWEY. 

on  special  service  until  1875.  The  latter  part  of  the  time  during  which  he 
was  on  the  "  Narragansett,"  Dewey  was  a  commander. 

The  Pacific  Survey  of  1872-3  was  intrusted  to  him.  After  two  years 
as  lighthouse  inspector  and  five  as  secretary  of  the  Lighthouse  Board,  Dewey 
was  put  in  command  of  the  "Juniata,"  on  the  Asiatic  Squadron  in  1882. 
In  September,  1884,  he  was  promoted  to  captain  and  placed  in  command  of 
the  u  Dolphin,"  then  brand-new,  and  one  of  the  four  vessels  to  which  the 
name  of  "  white  squadron  "  was  first  given. 

From  1885  to  1888  he  was  the  commander  of  the  "  Pensacola,"  the  flag- 
ship of  the  European  Squadron.  In  1888  his  energy  and  ability  to  com- 
plete matters  of  detail  was  recognized  by  making  him  chief  of  the  Bureau 
of  Equipment  and  Recruiting,  which  carried  with  it  the 

His  Appointment  to  mnk  of  commodore>  Iu  May  l8o,  he  took  another  turn 
the  Asiatic  Squadron. 

on  duty  as  a  member  of  the  Lighthouse  Board.  He  was 
made  an  actual  commodore  February  26,  1896,  and  was,  about  that  time, 
put  at  the  head  of  the  important  Board  of  Inspection  and  Survey.  He  was 
transferred  to  the  Asiatic  Squadron,  January  i,  1898,  and,  as  before  stated, 
took  command  January  2. 

Admiral  George  Dewey  is  the  hero  of  this  war  who  appeals  most  strongly 
to  the  popular  imagination.  He  won  his  place  by  a  splendid  victory,  in 
which* personal  daring  went  hand  in  hand  with  strategic  skill,  and  he  kept 
it  Dy  the  exhibition  of  other  traits  not  always  found  in  a  successful  fighter. 
In  the  management  of  the  delicate  questions  arising  from  the  victory  he 
won,  he  showed  the  qualities  of  a  diplomat  and  an  administrator.  There 
is  no  parallel  instance  in  American  history  of  a  great  reputation  so  quickly 
made.  Other  military  and  naval  commanders  in  other  wars  have  come 
rapidly  to  the  front,  but  with  them  there  was  some  battle  of  minor  impor- 
tance or  the  gradually  spreading  publicity  of  a  campaign  before  their 
achievement  of  great  renown.  There  has  never  been  another  who  in  a 
single  day  sprang  so  dramatically  from  comparative  obscurity  to  world-wide 
fame  as  Admiral  Dewey. 

Yet  there  is  nothing  dramatic  in  Dewey's  character.  He  has  always 
been  known  among  his  fellows  as  a  modest,  unassuming,  competent  officer, 
who  went  about  his  duties  without  demonstration  and  accepted  responsibili- 
ties simply  as  they  came.  There  are  men  in  the  navy  of  proved  gallantry 
who  have  gained  wide  reputation  from  an  effective  phrase  or  catching 
speech.  Dewey  is  not  one  of  these.  It  would  be  quite  foreign  to  his  nature 
to  fling  out  "  Remember  the  Maine ! "  as  a  signal  from  his  flagship,  like 
Schley,  or  to  threaten,  like  Evans,  that  he  would  "  make  Spanish  the  pre- 
vailing language  in  hell."  He  was  never  the  kind  of  an  officer  whose  name 


A   LIFE  SKETCH   OF  GEORGE   DEWEY.  439 

lends  itself  readily  to  the  embellishment  of  adjectives.  Nobody  ever 
thought  of  calling  him  "  Fighting  George,"  and  he  would  have  smiled  on 
them  with  quizzical  good  humor  if  they  had.  There  is  nothing  of  the 
bluff  sea-dog  about  him. 

Not  many  stories  are  current  about  Dewey,  and  the  few  which  are  told 
illustrate  rather  his  benevolence  and  generosity  of  mind  than  any  striking 
military  trait.     There  is  the  incident,  for  example,  of  the 
gunner  aboard  the  "  Olympia,"  who  celebrated  the  victory  n  y 

ltd  'ts. 

of  Manila  Bay  by  getting  gloriously  drunk.  He  was 
court-martialed  for  drunkenness  and  was  sentenced  to  fifteen  days'  imprison- 
ment, with  a  diet  of  bread  and  water.  When  the  findings  of  the  court 
came  before  the  Admiral,  he  endorsed  on  it:  "  The- verdict  is  approved  ; 
the  sentence  is  remitted  in  view  of  the  victory  lately  won  by  the  fleet  under 
my  command." 

There  was  a  touch  of  human  sympathy  in  this  which  every  Jackie  in 
the  navy  could  appreciate.  Those  who  have  cruised  under  him  say  he  is 
one  of  the  kindest  officers  to  the  men  forward  who  ever  commanded  a  ship. 
They  speak  of  his  tenderness  of  heart,  of  his  reluctance  to  punish  petty 
offenders,  and  of  his  toleration  for  the  countless  harmless  peccadillos  which 
a  sailor-man  may  be  guilty  of.  At  the  same  time  he  maintained  absolute 
discipline  aboard,  and  to  serious  offenders  he  was  a  terror.  He  despised  a 
liar  and  would  show  one  no  mercy.  It  is  related  that  on  one  of  his  cruises 
a  petty  officer  went  asUore  at  Gibraltar,  and  came  back  the  worse  for  liquor. 
He  was  brought  before  Dewey  at  the  mast  next  morning  and  began  to  tell  a 
story  about  his  being  ill.  Dewey  stopped  him  short.  "  You  are  lying,"  he 
said,  severely.  "  You  were  very  drunk.  I  heard  you  myself.  I  will  not 
have  my  men  lie  to  me.  I  don't  ask  them  not  to  drink,  but  I  do  expect 
them  to  tell  the  truth.  If  you  had  told  me  frankly  you  had  taken  a  drop 
too  much  on  liberty  you  would  have  been  forward  by  this  time,  for  you 
returned  to  the  ship.  But  for  lying  you  get  ten  days  in  irons.  Let  me 
have  the  truth  hereafter.  I  am  told  you  are  a  good  seaman.  A  good  sea- 
man has  no  business  telling  lies." 

No  sailor  ever  lost  by  owning  up  frankly  to  a  fault  and  throwing  him- 
self on   Dewey's  mercy.     He  might  be  sentenced  in  accordance  with  the 
regulations,  but  the  chances  were  that  he  would  be  released 
from  the  brig  before  his  sentence  was  half  worked  out.  So    Hf»  Men  Devotedly 
it  came  about  that  Dewey's  men  like  him  and  respect  him.    Attached  to  Him. 
No  skipper  ever  commanded  moie  loyal  crews.     The  same 
qualities  which   Dewey  exhibits  aboard  ship  he  has  shown  in  the  executive 
positions  which  fall  to  a  naval  officer's  lot  ashore.     When  he  was  in  charge 


t40  A  LIFE  SKETCH   OF   GEORGE   DEWEY. 

of  the  Bureau  of  Equipment  at  the  Navy  Department  he  was  known  for  the 
thoroughness  with  which  he  administered  the  Bureau.  Neatness  of  method, 
promptness  and  effectiveness  characterized  everything  he  undertook,  while 
unfailing  courtesy  marked  his  bearing  toward  those  with  whom  he  had 
business.  In  person,  Dewey  is  of  medium  height  and  slender,  with  just  the 
suspicion  of  a  stoop.  His  dark  eyes  are  large  and  piercing,  his  face  has  the 
clear-cut  firmness  of  the  man  of  the  world.  His  hair,  just  turning  gray,  is 
lined  in  the  middle,  with  just  the  suggestion  of  a  wave  on  either  side.  His 
dress  is  immaculate  and  always  in  the  mode.  He  is  a  clubman  and  likes 
society,  but  he  is  not  a  story-teller  or  a  wit.  He  is  rather  a  well-bred  gen- 
tleman who  has  seen  much  of  the  world  and  who  combines  a  fondness  for 
the  company  of  his  fellows  with  a  gentleman's  reserve  and  poise.  He  has 
never  thrust  himself  forward  or  sought  notoriety  even  in  roundabout  ways. 
He  lived  in  Washington,  while  Harrison  was  president,  as  Chief  of  the 
Bureau  of  Equipment ;  but  there  were  few  in  the  city  outside  the  service 
who  knew  him,  and  up  to  the  first  of  May  his  was  simply  a  faintly  remem- 
bered name.  But  those  who  knew  him  are  not  surprised  by  what  he  has 
done.  They  knew  that  underneath  a  quiet  and  courteous  exterior  was  as 
finely  chiseled  a  mind  as  ever  set  to  worlj  upon  a  naval  problem,  and  from 
his  record  as  a  lieutenant  in  the  Civil  War  they  were  aware  of  the  cool 
bravery  which  marked  the  man. 

It  was  forty-five  years  ago  that  Admiral  George  Dewey  entered  the 

Naval  Academy  with  seventy-one  other  boys,  each  anxious  to  be  a  naval 

officer.     The  members  of  his  class  represented  only  thirty- 

Adm  ctisse.Wey'S      °ne  StateS  °f  the  Union' 

Before  the  termination  of  the  four  years'  course  at  the 

Academy,  forty-nine  of  these  novitiate  officers  had  resigned  and  one  had  been 
dismissed.  Only  twenty-two  of  the  class  remained  to  graduate  and  receive 
their  first  commissions  as  officers  of  the  navy.  Soon  after,  six  others 
resigned  and  before  they  had  advanced  a  single  grade  in  rank.  One 
resigned  later  on,  two  were  killed  in  battle  and  three  others  died.  When 
our  war  with  Spain  opened,  only  seven  of  these  officers  remained  in  the 
navy,  and  two  of  these,  Allan  V.  Reed  and  Joshua  Bishop,  were  on  the 
retired  list  of  the  navy.  The  five  officers  on  the  active  list  were  :  Commo- 
dore John  A.  Howell,  the  inventor  of  the  torpedo  that  bears  his  name  and 
then  commanding  the  northern  patrol  squadron;  Commodore  Henry  L. 
Howison,  Commodore  Albert  Kautz,  Commodore  Norman  H.  Farquhar  and 
now  Admiral  George  Dewey. 

By  such  process  of  evolution  and  selection  it  is  that  we  obtain  our 
heroes.     The  foundation   for  the  victorv  at  Manila  was  laid  in  the  section 


A  LIFE  SKETCH   OF  GEORGE   DEWEY.  441 

room  at  the  Academy  ;  in  the  experience  gained  in  lonely  watches  at  sea  ; 
in  the  crash  of  battle  at  New  Orleans  under  Farragut,  and  in  the  sincere 
discharge  of  the  multifarious  duties  of  the  faithful  officer  during  long  and 
weary  years.  It  is  only  by  this  that  such  results  can  be  obtained  ;  yet  there 
are  men  foolish  enough  to  imagine  that  we  need  no  preparation  for  war,  or, 
at  least,  who  talk  and  legislate  as  if  they  so  believed. 

At  Hong  Kong,  April  26,  1898,  the  "  Esmeralda  "  brought  600  refugees, 
mostly  Chinese,  from  Manila.  She  reported  that  all  American  vessels  at 
the  Philippine  Islands  put  to  sea  on  March  23.  The  British  Consul  at 
Manila  was  caring  for  the  interests  of  the  Americans  there,  and,  if  neces- 
sary, they  could  find  refuge  on  British  vessels.  Guns  had  been  taken  from 
Spanish  ships  to  aid  in  the  defence  of  the  city.  The  fortifications  were 
useless,  the  guns  of  obsolete  types  and  ammunition  scanty. 

At  Madrid,  April  26,  1898,  an  official  announcement  was  made  regard- 
ing the  movements  of  the  American  fleet,  which,  it  was  understood  there, 
was  under  orders  to  bombard  Manila.  It  said  :  "  An  American  squadron, 
consisting  of  vessels  of  no  great  importance,  was  approaching  Manila. 
There  is  much  public  enthusiasm  at  the  place,  and  the  inhabitants  are  pre- 
paring to  resist  with  great  resolution." 

The  newspapers  made  caustic  comments  on  President  McKinley's  tardy 
hesitations  and  scruples.  They  scoffed  at  the  slowness  of  the  operations  of 
the  American  squadrons,  which,  they  declared,  showed  that  they  were  inad- 
equately organized  and  incapable  of  seriously  taki'ng  the  offensive. 

Had  Admiral  Dewey's  wishes  been  consulted  by  the  Navy  Department 
he  would'  not  have  been  the  commander  of  the  squadron  that  committed 
such  terrific  destruction  in  Manila  Bay.     It  was  one  of  the 
chances  of  war  that  sent  him  to  far  eastern  waters.     Admi-        cJT,cy       'r  y 

Missed  It. 

ral  Dewey  preferred  another  assignment.  He  did  not  care 
to  go  to  the  Asiatic  station,  and  neither  did  half  a  dozen  young  officers  to 
whom  he  offered  the  details  of  flag  secretary  and  flag  lieutenant.  They  all 
thought  that  if  we  had  war  with  Spain  the  European  squadron  and  that  on 
the  home  station  would  figure  more  conspicuously.  None  believed  that  the 
United  States  would  extend  its  operations  to  the  Philippines.  At  the  time 
Admiral  Dewey  was  ordered  to  Asiatic  waters  the  chances  of  trouble  with 
Spain  were  apparently  remote,  although  the  situation  was  still  threatening. 
When,  therefore,  Commander  F.  V.  McNair  was  detached  from  his  command 
early  in  January  and  ordered  home,  it  was  necessary  to  have  a  flag  officer  to 
relieve  him  at  once,  and  the  detail  was  between  Commodore  Howell  and 
Admiral  (then  Commodore)  Dewey.  Both  wanted  the  command  of  the 
European  station,  where  Admiral  Selfridge  was  due  to  be  detached  early  in 


Honor  Found 


442  A  LIFE  SKETCH   OF  GEORGE   DEWEY. 

February.  Dewey  was  especially  anxious  for  the  command,  but  Howell 
succeeded  in  securing  the  billet,  and  the  orders  to  both  officers  were  made 
out  in  December. 

Commodore  Dewey  left  the  United  States  at  once,  and  he  raised  his  flag 
on  the  "  Olympia  "  on  January  3.  Commodore  Howell  raised  his  flag  on  the 
"  San  Francisco  "  on  February  7  following.  Commodore  Dewey  had  more 
trouble  in  finding  a  staff  willing  to  accompany  him  to  the  station  than  usually 
falls  to  the  lot  of  flag  officers;  not  that  officers  were  not  willing  to  serve 
with  the  Commodore,  but  that  they  saw  greater  prospects  of  naval  glory  on 
the  home  station. 

Captain  Lamberton,  who  was  sent  out  to  command  the  "  Boston  "  and 
who  failed  to  get  his  ship  before  the  fight,  was  another  officer  unwilling  to 
join  the  fleet.  He  sailed  after  the  "  Maine  "  was  blown 

up,  and  saw  then  that  the  chance  of  trouble  with  Spain 
Where  Least 

Expected.  was  promising.  He  wanted  to  remain  on  the  home  sta- 
tion, but  there  was  no  command  vacant  for  him  and  he 
took  the  "  Boston."  At  least  a  dozen  officers  on  the  squadron  appealed  to 
their  friends  to  try  and  get  them  home  so  that  they  could  be  on  hand  when 
war  was  declared.  Through  refusal  of  their  wishes  every  one  of  them  was 
in  the  hottest  engagement  of  the  war  and  received  the  thanks  of  Congress 
and  a  gold  medal  for  their  valor. 

Manila  is  a  very  bustling  port  with  a  very  beautiful  bay.  The  town, 
which  is  the  capital  of  the  Philippines,  is  a  city  of  250,000  inhabitants, 
according  to  the  census  of  1880.  The  large  bay,  on  the  shores  of  which  it 
lies,  is  oval  in  form  and  at  least  120  miles  in  periphery. 

Into  it:  the  River  PasiS  emPties-  The  city  proper,  that  is, 
the  fortified  portion  of  it,  is  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Pasig, 
a  spot  selected  in  1571  by  Lopez  de  Legaspi  as  the  future  centre  of  Spanish 
power  in  the  islands.  The  Spanish  and  Creole  portion  of  the  population 
constitute  about  one-tenth  of  the  whole,  the  others  being  natives  and  Chinese. 
Most  of  the  Chinese  are  engaged  in  commerce. 

The  city  proper  is  a  group  of  forts,  convents  and  administrative  build- 
ings. It  is  surrounded  by  lofty  walls  and  connected  with  the  commercial 
part  of  the  community,  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Pasig,  by  two  fine  bridges. 
As  a  centre  of  trade  it  is  admirably  situated  at  the  mouth  of  a  navigable 
river  and  of  an  interior  sea,  which  insures  it  the  products  of  a  whole  prov- 
ince. Upon  the  waters  of  the  bay  rides  in  times  of  peace  a  commercial 
fleet  representing  the  nations  of  the  whole  world. 

A  canal  connects  Manila  with  the  seaport  towns  on  the  other  side  of 
the  island — the  eastern  side.  In  the  narrows  at  the  entrance  of  the  bay  is 


A  LIFE  SKETCH   OF  GEORGE   DEWEY.  443 

the  volcanic  island  of  Corregidor.  During  the  southwest  monsoon,  when 
the  tides  are  highest,  ships  of  500  tons  can  anchor  in  the  mouth  of  the  Pasig, 
under  cover  of  a  long  jetty,  while  small  warships  can  enter  the  cove  of  Cavite 
nine  miles  further  down.  This  cove  is  protected  from  the  high  tides  by  a 
long  sandy  promontory  called  the  Hook. 

Manila  is  very  favorably  situated  for  general  commerce.  It  commands 
all  the  routes  of  navigation  between  the  Strait  of  Londe  and  the  mouth  of 
the  Yang-tse-Kiang.  Laperause  said  of  the  city  that  its  commercial  location 
was  the  best  in  the  world.  Up  to  1811  it  was  the  connecting  point  of 
Spain's  trade  with  her  American  colonies. 

It  was  in  the  bay  of  Manila,  defending  the  capital  of  the  Philippines, 
that  Spain  had  gathered  eleven  vessels  of  her  war  fleet,  their  services  being 
required  in  an  effort  to   repress   the    Filipino    insurrection,  that  had  cost 
Spain  a  large  expenditure  of  blood   and  treasure.     The 
Spaniards  believed   themselves  to  be  secure  against  the   stra'ght  '"to  the 


attack  of  a  hostile  fleet,  and  ridiculed  the  suggestion  of 


such  a  possibility,  regarding  their  position,  as  well  as  the 
number  of  their  war  ships,  as  being  unassailable,  for  the  bay  was  well  laid 
with  torpedoes,  while  the  fortifications  that  commanded  the  entrance  to  the 
bay  and  those  defending  Cavite  mounted  many  pieces  of  modern  heavy  guns. 
Notwithstanding  these  fancied  securities,  Admiral  Dewey  did  not  hesitate  to 
seek  the  enemy  in  his  fastnesses,  and  to  engage  him  on  his  favorite  grounds. 

The  American  Asiatic  squadron,  Admiral  George  Dewey  commanding, 
was  made  up  of  six  steel  ships,  the  storeship  "  Narstan  "  and  the  collier 
"  Zaffiro."  The  warships  were  the  protected  cruisers 
"Olympia,"  Captain  Charles  V.  Gridley  ;  "Boston,"  Cap- 
tain  Frank  Wildes;  "Raleigh,"  Captain  Joseph  B. 
Coghlan,  and  "  Baltimore,"  Captain  Nehemiah  M.  Dyer  ;  and  the  gunboats 
"  Concord,"  Commander  Asa  Walker,  and  "  Petrel,"  Commander  Edward  P. 
Wood.  The  "  Concord  "  joined  the  squadron  in  January,  and  the  fleet 
"  Baltimore,"  which  had  been  Rear-Admiral  Joseph  N.  Miller's  flagship  at 
the  Pacific  station,  joined  the  squadron  a  few  days  later.  The  "  Concord  " 
and  "  Baltimore  "  took  the  places  of  the  gunboats  "  Helena  "  and  "  Monoc- 
acy."  The  former  was  with  the  blockading  squadron  off  Havana  harbor, 
while  the  old  iron  gunboat  "  Monocacy  "  was  left  behind  at  Woosung  to 
look  after  American  missionaries.  The  squadron  assembled  to  take  the  Phil- 
ippines was  the  most  foimidable  American  fleet  ever  seen  in  Asiatic  waters. 

The  "  Olympia,"  the  flagship,  is  one  of  the  finest  ships  in  the  navy. 
She  ranks  next  to  the  "  Columbia  "  and  "  Minneapolis  "  in  speed,  and 
besides  these,  the  armored  cruisers  "  Brooklyn  "  and  "  New  York  "  were  the 


444  GRANDEUR  OF  OUR  COUNTRY. 

only  other  cruising  ships  having  a  greater  length.  Most  of  the  service  of 
the  "  Olympia  "  had  been  at  the  Asiatic  station.  On  one  occasion,  when 
she  was  going  to  Yokohama,  she  was  caught  in  a  tremendous  storm.  In 
spite  of  the  high  head  seas,  she  made  remarkable  speed,  going  straight 
about  her  business,  undisturbed,  at  the  rate  of  nearly  twenty  knots  an  hour. 
She  was  designed  at  a  time  when  the  unlucky  "  Reina  Regente,"  the  beau- 
tiful Spanish  cruiser  which  visited  New  York  at  the  time  of  the  naval  cele- 
bration in  the  spring  of  1893,  was  the  fastest  cruiser  afloat.  The  "  Reina 
Regente  "  had  been  built  for  Spain  in  England,  and  had  steamed  nineteen 
knots  under  natural  draught  and  twenty-one  knots  under  forced  draught. 
The  Navy  Department's  idea  was  to  build  a  cruiser  which  should  resemble 
the  fleet  Spaniard,  but  should  yet  excel  her. 

A  complete  and  picturesque  description  of  how  Admiral  Dewey  met  and 
annihilated  Montojo's  squadron  of  eleven  ships  in  the  Bay  of  Manila  (May  i), 

and  of  how,  by  his  assistance,  the  city  of  Manila  was  cap- 
How  the  Nation  '  tured  /August  i V),  is  described  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 
Rewarded  Him. 

It  remains  only  to  be  told  that  for  his  superb  courage  and 

skill  the  nation  gave  him  the  most  generous  recognition,  Congress  reviving 
the  long  obsolete  rank  of  Admiral  to  which  President  McKinley  immediately 
appointed  him,  so  that  Admiral  Dewey's  distinguished  services  have  been 
fittingly  rewarded,  his  rank  now  being  the  highest,  with  the  largest  pay 
($13,500  per  annum),  in  the  military  service  of  the  country. 


THE  GRANDEUR  OF  OUR  COUNTRY. 

THE    magnificent    extent   of  the  United  Spates,  not  considering  our 
new  possessions,  is  scarcely  comprehended  by  our  own  people,  so 
that  the  ignorance  of  foreigners  in  this  respect  is  hardly  to  be 
condemned  as  many  of  us  are  disposed  to  do.       Our  war  in  the 
Philippines  has  tended  to  increase  the  perplexities  of  people  across  the  sea, 
as  the  dispatches  to  foreign  journals  of  our  doings  in  those  far-away  islands 
are  much  more  numerous  and  definite   than    are    those  they  receive  from 
the  United  States.       Indeed,  it  is  a  surprising  thing  to  know  that  notwith- 
standing our  extensive  commerce  with  European  countries,  and  the  copious 
information  supplied  by  our  newspapers  respecting  affairs  of  Europe,  America 
is  scarcely  mentioned  in  the  incident  columns  of  English,  French  or  German 


GRANDEUR  OF  OUR  COUNTRY.  445 

papers.  For  this  reason  foreigners,  who  have  not  visited  the  United  States, 
have  a  scanty  knowledge  of  the  extent  or  character  of  our  country.  Thus 
it  is  that  when  report  is  made  to  foreign  journals  of  our  losses  in  the  Phil- 
ippines, of  how  Smith  of  Texas  was  killed,  and  Brown  of  Montana  was 
wounded,  our  English,  French  and  German  friends  wonder  how  long  this 
may  continue  before  the  United  States  will  have  no  more  soldiers  to  send 
over  to  take  the  place  of  those  fallen. 

Have  they  never  heard  the  old  poem  : 

"  Thebes  marched  her  thousands  from  her  hundred  gates, 
We  march  our  millions  from  our  hundred  States." 

Most  of  the  men  who  fought  in  Cuba  were  regulars,  but  most  of  the 
boys  in  Manila  are  volunteers,  and  are  still  reckoned  by  their  State  organiza- 
tions. By  the  way,  could  anything  be  more  splendid  or  give  to  a  foreigner  a 
more  striking  object  lesson  of  the  Republic's  power?  Imagine  a  foreigner 
watching  an  army  of  United  States  volunteers  and  asking  natural  questions. 
It  would  be  something  like  this  : 

Foreigner — What  men  are  these  ? 

Answer — The  Fourteenth  Texas  Infantry. 

Foreigner — And  what  is  Texas? 

Answer — A  State  down  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

Foreigner — How  large  is  Texas  ? 

Answer — It  has  265,780  square  miles.  It  is  somewhat  larger  than 
Austria-Hungary,  a  third  larger  than  the  German  Empire. 

Foreigner — What  soldiers  are  these  ? 

Answer — The  Third  Montana. 

Foreigner — Where  is  Montana  and  how  large  is  it  ? 

Answer — It  is  in  the  Central  West  and  close  up  to  the  Dominion  line. 
It  contains  146,080  square  miles,  or  some  20  per  cent  more  area  than  the 
United  Kingdom. 

Foreigner — And  where  do  these  soldiers  hail  from  ? 

Answer — They  are  the  Fourth  Colorado,  which  is  a  Rocky  Mountain 
State,  with  an  area  of  103,929  square  miles,  or  say  twice  the  size  of  England. 

Foreigner — And  these  ? 

Answer — The  Tenth  California,  on  the  Pacific,  with  an  area  of  158,360 
square  miles,  or  a  little  more  than  three-fourths  the  size  of  France. 

Foreigner — And  these  ? 

Answer — The  Second  Oregon  and  Third  Washington,  also  on  the  Pacific, 
and  containing  together  165,210  square  miles,  or  say  a  little  more  than  two- 
thirds  the  size  of  the  German  Empire. 


446  A  BRACE   OF  SPLENDID   WAR  STORIES. 

Foreigner — And  how  many  States  have  you  in  all? 

Answer — Forty-five  States  and  some  territories;  they  fill  all  the  space 
between  the  two  great  oceans,  and  at  one  bugle  call  last  summer,  in  every 
one  soldiers  fell  into  line  ;  the  tread  of  the  thousands  was  like  the  tolling  of 
the  bells  of  destiny,  and  the  flashings  of  their  standards  reflected  back  the 
sunshine  through  one-eighth  of  the  sun's  daily  round.  And  they  all  speak 
one  language  ;  all  sing  the  same  songs  ;  all  turn  for  inspiration  to  the  same 
flag,  and  though  each  is  a  separate  wave,  when  blended  they  make  but  one 
ocean,  and  when  in  full  roar  all  the  shores  of  the  nation  are  shaken,  for  in 
majesty,  in  latent  power,  in  unapproachable  splendor  there  is  no  counterpart 
for  them  in  all  the  records  of  the  nations  that  have  existed,  since  nations 
were  first  organized  on  earth. 


A  BRACE  OF  SPLENDID  WAR  STORIES. 


Times  When  a  Fellow  Feels  Like  Running,  and  When  the  Enemy 

Becomes  a  Friend. 

BY  W.  W.  BYAM. 

THE  squad  of  old  soldiers  whose  acquaintance  I  had  made  was  one 
that  proved  of  more  than  usual  interest,  for  while  warm  friends 
and  generous  neighbors  now,  time  was,  in  the  long  ago,  when 
these  same  men  had  met  as  enemies  in  fierce  charge  and  counter- 
charge on  many  a  hard-fought  field.  "But  kindly  time  had  healed  the 
wounds  and  mellowed  all  the  bitter  past,  and  now,  under  the  broad  leaves 
of  a  spreading  palm  in  the  plaza  of  a  little  half-Spanish,  half-American 
town  in  the  Lone  Star  State,  I  sat  and  listened  to  the  tales  of  a  glorious  past 
as  told  by  these  one-time  foes.  At  times  I  was  amused  at  the  statements  of 
comparative  strength  and  losses — statements  that  would,  no  doubt,  make 
the  war  records  in  the  archives  at  Washington  blush  at  their  inaccuracies. 
However,  these  tales  of  unequal  combat  were  common  property,  each  in  his 
turn  being  as  reckless  as  to  those  "  superior  numbers  of  the  enemy  "  as  the 
other  had  been  extravagant  before  him,  so  that  in  the  end  I  doubt  not  that 
the  average  would  compare  favorably  with  the  official  reports  made  at  the 
time. 


A  BRACE   OF  SPLENDID  WAR  STORIES.  447 

It  is  surprising  the  exactness  with  which  the  veteran  of  his  country's 
wars  recalls  the  details  of  the  glorious  day  when  victory  crowned  his  arms, 
an  exactness  that  becomes  amusing  when  compared  with  the  apparent  dim 
remembrance  he  seems  to  have  of  time  and  place  when  fortune  frowned. 

I  one  day  ventured  to  suggest  to  one  of  these  veteran  Sons  of  Mars  that 
where  so  many  victories  had  been  gained  some  one  must  have  met  defeat ; 
at  which  the  grim  old  warrior,  straightening  up,  declared :  u  Never  was 
whipped  but  once.  Never  but  once,  sir." 

Almost  surfeited  with  "  victories  gained,"  I  begged  this  survivor  of  the 
Old  Guard  to  tell  me  his  experience  of  a  battle  lost,  when,  with  an  apology 
for  his  failing  memory  as  to  dates  and  numbers,  the  old  soldier,  shifting  his 
"Climax,"  began  the  confession  of  his  sole  defeat  by  saying: 

"I  was  one  of  that  army  of  25,000  men  that  led  Banks  up  Red 
River.  I  say  '  led,'  because  it  is  an  historical  fact  that  the  general  in  com- 
mand of  that  expedition  never  joined  his  army  until  the 

,  ,  ..  ,  /  ,  .  How  I  Was  Whipped. 

day  before  its  defeat — in  fact,  overtaking  it  just  about  in 

time  to  meet  the  head  of  his  column,  turned  back  in  broken  rout.  As  I 
was  saying,  we  went  up  there  25,000  strong,  expecting  to  find  about  15,000 
rebels.  We  found  the  15,000  rebels  all  right  They  were  at  home,  and 
expecting  us.  But  the  balance  of  the  combination  failed  to  work,  and  all 
because  of  too  much  train  and  wagon-master  and  not  quite  enough  general. 

"  Banks,  you  know,  was  a  politician ;  better  politician  than  statesman, 
and,  as  it  proved,  a  much  better  statesman  than  general.  However,  he  *had 
gained  somewhat  of  notoriety  by  outrunning  Stonewall  Jackson  in  a  race 
down  the  Shenandoah  Valley  in  Virginia,  a  year  or  two  before,  and  the 
newspapers  had  discovered,  in  the  success  of  that  race,  that  his  strategy  was 
closely  allied  to  divine  inspiration.  Be  that  as  it  may,  the  tactics  of  that 
political  general  in  the  battle  at  Sabine  Cross  Roads  were — oh,  dear  !"  And 
here  the  old  veteran  fairly  groaned.  "Those  tactics  were  too  new;  were 
not  flexible  enough ;  lacked  a  swivel  or  something,  for  when  we  changed 
'  Dick '  Taylor's  army  with  our  baggage-train  those  tactics  failed  to  connect, 
and  Richard  got  away  with  the  baggage  comfortable  like,  and  with  twenty- 
two  pieces  of  artillery,  200  wagons,  and  a  lot  of  healthy  mules,  men  and 
other  military  impedimenta  besides. 

"  That  battle  of  Sabine  Cross  Roads  was  the  first  fight  where  my 
brigade  had  been  compelled  to  take  second  money,  and  what  was  equally 
serious  to  me  and  the  Government,  it  found  me  among  the 

number  that  went  over  to  call  on  '  Dick  '  that  same  even-  ,,A JWar,m  Chf.se 

Under  Incentives. 

mg.     I  may  as  well  add  that  I  went  at  Richard's  solicita- 
tion, and  that  the  gentleman  who  brought  the  invitation  also  brought  a  gun. 


448  A  BRACE  OF  SPLENDID  WAR  STORIES. 


You  see,  at  the  moment  Mr.  Taylor's  request  reached  me  I  was  busily 
engaged  in  trying  to  induce  an  insubordinate  ball  to  '  close  up '  on  a  charge 
of  powder  that  was  a  long  way  farther  down  that  gun-barrel,  but  the  case 
proved  an  aggravated  one,  and  beyond  my  ability  to  subdue.  I  suppose  I 
lacked  judgment  in  the  matter,  or  had  got  mixed  up  with  those  peculiar 
tactics  in  use  on  the  field  that  day.  It  certainly  wasn't  zeal  or  industry  I 
was  short  on,  for  at  the  very  moment  I  received  Mr.  Taylor's  invitation  to 
call  on  him  I  was  all  of  a  sweat  charging  that  confounded  ramrod  against  a 
tree,  trying  to  force  that  stubborn  ball  down  where  it  would  be  in  a  position 
to  do  the  most  good.  The  man  who  had  called  to  escort  me  over  to  see  Mr. 
Taylor  remarked  that  he  didn't  think  I  would  need  my  gun  in  the  immediate 
future,  and  closed  the  conversation  rather  abruptly  by  saying  that  I  might 
leave  it  and  he  would  send  for  it  later,  and  upon  his  suggesting  that  Mr. 
Taylor  was  in  a  hurry  to  see  me,  I  dropped  everything  right  there  and  went 
along  with  him  ;  not,  however,  without  somewhat  of  regret  at  leaving  old 
1  Betsy,'  as  I  called  her,  for  she  had  been  my  constant  companion  from  the 
first  day  at  Shiloh,  where  she  had  kicked  my  shoulder  black  and  blue,  and  I 
had  really  become  attached  to  the  old  Springfield. 

"  That  battle  of  Sabine  Cross  Roads  was,  if  anything,  more  unfortunate 
for  me  than  it  was  for  the  general  in  command,  for  while  he  only  lost  his 
tactics  and  a  reputation,  I  lost  my  liberty  and  a  gun,  a  loss  the  Government 
was  far  less  able  to  bear. 

"  I  have  observed  before  now,"  continued  the  veteran,  "  that  all  the  men 
I  know  of,  or  have  read  of,  that  were  ever  captured  in  battle,  none  ever  sur- 
rendered themselves  prisoners  of  war  until  each  individual  found  himself 
surrounded  by  at  least  half  a  regiment  of  the  exultant  enemy.  But  truth 
compels  me  to  admit  that  on  that  day  at  Sabine  Cross  Roads  it  took  only  one 
lone  man  to  capture  me,  and  what  is  more,  the  one  man  I  surrendered  to 
was  an  undersized  fellow  at  that. 

"  But,  gentlemen,"  the  old  soldier  remarked,  with    rising  emphasis, 

"  you  should  have  seen  the  gun  the  fellow  carried.     It  was  the  first  thing  I 

noticed  on  turning  my  head  when  the  owner  of  it  first 

spoke  to  me.     I  stood  so  near  to  it,  and  the  fellow  held  it 
Big  as  a  Keg. 

so  steady  that  I  could  look  into  the  muzzle  clean  down 
the  barrel,  and  see  that  English-made  bullet  lying  snug  and  businesslike  at 
the  bottom.  What  calibre,  did  you  ask  ?  Well,  really,  I  could  not  say.  I 
only  recall  at  that  moment  it  looked  to  me  about  the  size  of  a  nail-keg. 
Anyhow,  I  never  saw,  before  or  since,  a  gun  that  looked  as  big  until  I  saw 
that  Krupp  affair  at  the  Columbian  Exposition. 

"  No,"  the  old  veteran  sighed,  "  it  only  required  one  man  to  take  me 


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THE  CITY  WALLS. 


A  BRACE  OF  SPLENDID   WAR   STORIES.  449 

prisoner.     And  do  you  know,"  he  added,  "  I  have  always  felt  under  obliga- 
tions to  that  one  man  for  not  shooting  me  with  that  infernal  big  gun." 


"  Well,  comrade,"  remarked  one  of  the  squad,  addressing  himself  to  the 
old  soldier  who  had  confessed  losing  his  liberty  and  a  gun  to  one  lone  rebel, 
"  just  about  the  time  you  started  over  to  call  on  the  Taylor  family,  my  regi- 
ment took  its  first  lesson  in  learning  the  difference  between  chasing  the 
other  fellow  and  having  the  other  fellow  chase  us.  The  difference  is 
remarkable. 

"  You  see,  we  discovered  that  we  had  bit  off  somewhat  more  than  we 
could  chew,  so  we  started  back  to  find  the  Nineteenth  Army  Corps,  that  we 
knew  were  taking  it  comfortably  five  miles  in  the  rear.  It  was  growing  late, 
you  remember,  and  we  all  wanted  to  get  back  there  before  dark.  However, 
that  only  accounted  for  part  of  the  hurry. 

"  I  never  before  had  the  least  suspicion  that  my  speed  and  staying  quali- 
ties were  of  so  high  an  order,  and,  in  fact,  nothing  surprised  me  more,  unless 
it  was  the  speed  and  staying  qualities  developed  by  that 
other  fellow.     I  never  saw  such  persistent  people  as  that  irp  Run 

Taylor  family  proved  themselves  that  day.  I  had  run  about 
a  mile,  when  I  thought  I  had  gone  far  enough  to  slow  up  and  catch  my 
breath,  and  was  just  looking  around  in  the  brush  for  it,  when  r-r-ip  came 
about  a  wagon-load  of  lead  circulating  around  my  locality.  I  found  my 
breath  at  once.  It  is  wonderful  what  encouragement  there  is  in  a  volley, 
at  the  proper  time  and  place.  Well,  I  had  that  experience  repeated  a  num- 
ber of  times  before  I  finally  tired  the  Taylors  out,  a  matter,  I  must  admit, 
we  did  not  fully  accomplish  until  next  morning,  when,  having  fairly  outrun 
the  whole  Taylor  tribe,  we  beat  them  into  Pleasant  Hill  by  a  couple  of 
hours,  just  time  enough  to  allow  such  of  our  generals  as  were  sober  enough 
for  duty  to  lay  a  very  nice  trap,  into  which  the  rebels  walked  in  a  most 
accommodating  manner,  enabling  us  to  thrash  them  just  about  as  soundly  that 
morning  as  they  had  mauled  us  the  day  before,  with  the  result  that  the  rebs 
started  north  on  the  run  for  Mansfield,  and  we  started  south  on  the  run  for 
Porter's  fleet  at  Grand  Ecore. 

"  Well,  comrade,  it  may  be  as  you  say,  that  we  did  not  run  from  Pleas- 
ant Hill,  but  you  will  have  to  agree  that  we  struck  a  gait  that  didn't  have  a 
bit  of  lost  motion  in  it. 

"  Did  any  of  you  ever  read  Banks'  official  report  of  that  battle  of  Sabine 
Cross  Roads  ?"  the  old  soldier  asked.  All  confessed  they  had  never  perused 
that  interesting  document.  Thereupon,  the  veteran  continued  : 

?9 


450  BRACE   OF  SPLENDID  WAR  STORIES. 

"  I  read  that  report  some  years  ago,  and  it  went  a  long  way  to  confirm 
iny  belief  that  much  of  history  in  general,  and  war  history  in  particular,  is 
mighty  interesting — fiction. 

"  In  that  official  report  Banks  explains  how  General  A.  L.  Lee  brought 

on  the  fight  with   the  cavalry  and  got  whipped,  and   that  when   Lee  was 

whipped  he  had  sent  in  Ransom  with  the  Fourth  Division 

itWasn'ttheWay      f  ^    Thirteenth  Corps  :  and  that  as  soon  as  Ransom  was 

They  Report.  ... 

pulverized,  how  he  had  sent  in  Cameron's  Third  Division  of 

the  same  corps.  After  Cameron  had  been  thoroughly  whipped,  and  no  other 
division  standing  around  waiting  for  a  thrashing,  he  tells  how  we  'all  fell 
back,  stubbornly  contesting  every  inch  of  ground.' 

"  How  differently  different  individuals  view  the  same  transaction  or 
situation  !  Now  every  man  in  the  fight  that  day,  except  the  author  of  that 
official  report,  supposed  we  had  received  a  royal  sort  of  whaling,  and  that 
instead  of  'stubbornly  contesting  every  inch  of  ground,'  we  all  thought  it 
was  a  go-as-you-please  through  five  miles  of  scrub  pines  and  brush,  for  the 
rear  ;  that  it  was  every  man  for  himself,  and  '  Dick '  Taylor  take  the  hind- 
most. And  so  it  was.  And,  gentlemen,  the  man  who  did  not  run  that  day 
either  took  a  trip  to  the  stockade  at  Tyler,  Texas,  or  is  back  there  yet — 
lying  under  the  pines." 

A  STRANGE  EXAMPLE  OF  SECOND  SIGHT. 

"  We  had  no  fault  to  find  with  our  generals  on  that  campaign,"  remarked 
the  grim  old  Texan  cavalryman  in  the  squad. 

"  Kirby  Smith  was  an  able  general,  who,  with  Fabian  policy,  had 
shrewdly  drawn  Banks  up  there  a  hundred  miles  or  so  from  his  base  of 
supplies,  and  then  turned  '  Dick '  Taylor  loose  on  him.  You  fellows  seem 
to  agree  pretty  well  as  to  the  manner  in  which  '  Dick  '  did  the  business  for 
you.  My  share  of  the  work,  however,  ended  early  in  the  first  day's  fight. 

"*'  That  morning  our  regiment  had  a  stubborn  New  Hampshire  brigade 
in  its  front,  which  gave  ground  in  a  sullen  manner,  emptying  a  number  of 
saddles  for  us,  while  leaving  about  as  many  of  their  own  men  lying  here 
.aid  there  through  the  woods.  By  two  o'clock  we  had  pushed  the  blue-coats 
back  onto  their  supports,  where  we  ran  up  against  an  ugly  battery  planted 
at  the  edge  of  the  woods  across  the  field  just  in  front  of  us,  which,  for  the 
number  of  guns  and  the  limit  of  time,  sent  us  a  greater  assortment  of  cast- 
iron  than  I  had  ever  seen  before.  We  halted  under  that  battery's  fire  to 
reform  our  somewhat  disordered  .  ranks,  preparatory  to  charging  its  vicious 
guns,  when  our  old,  white-haired  colonel,  accompanied  by  his  fifteen-year-old 


A   BRACE  OF  SPLENDID  WAR   STORIES.  451 

son,  who  was  acting  as  his  orderly,  rode  along  the  line,  telling  the  men  of 
the  work  ahead,  and  what  he  expected  of  them.  Returning  to  the  right  of 
the  regiment,  the  boy  still  at  his  side,  the  colonel  took  his  position  a  few 
paces  in  the  front,  then,  rising  in  his  stirrups,  gave  the  command,  sharp  and 
clear :  '  Attention,  battalion  !  Draw  sabres  !  Forward  !  Charge  !' 

"I  was  a  sergeant  in  troop  '  A,'  and  sat  in  my  saddle,  at  a  distance  not 
exceeding  ten  paces  from  the  colonel,  and  vividly  recall  seeing  the  boy,  at 
the  first  word  of  that  command,  pitch  headlong  out  of  the 
saddle.     I  saw  the  colonel  turn  his  head  and  look  down  at  A  Last  Slght  Bcfore 

,      ,      ,        ,.  ,  .  .  ,  .  Unconsciousness. 

the  body  of  his  son,  heard  him  complete  the  command,  and 

then  saw  the  line  sweep  forward  in  the  charge.     Then  everything  seemed  to 

fade  away  in  a  blank. 

"Now,  the  remarkable  feature  of  that  circumstance  was  the  fact  that  a 
piece  of  the  same  shell  that  unhorsed  the  colonel's  son  killed  my  horse, 
while  another  fragment  gave  me  a  dangerous  wound  in  the  head,  one  that 
the  surgeon,  upon  examination,  said  must  have  rendered  me  unconscious  the 
instant  it  struck  me.  In  fact,  I  was  afterwards  told  by  a  number  of  my 
comrades,  who  were  in  the  ranks,  that  with  the  explosion  of  the  shell  the 
boy  and  I  fell  at  the  same  instant  of  time.  Nevertheless,  I  saw  the  boy  fall 
to  the  right  of  his  horse,  and  saw  the  riderless  animal  dash  away  in  the 
charge,  keeping  close  to  the  colonel's  left  side, — facts  that,  I  was  afterwards 
told,  occurred  just  as  I  recalled  them  ;  still  I  had  no  remembrance  of  being 
wounded,  nor  any  sensation  of  falling.  Another  peculiar  feature  to  me  of 
that  incident  was,  that  with  returning  consciousness  I  retained  for  some  time 
the  vision  of  that  riderless  gray  keeping  his  place  in  the  charge  alongside 
the  colonel. 

"  Our  surgeon,  a  man  of  some  scientific  attainment,  explained  my 
recollection  of  the  events  on  the  hypothesis  that  I  had  fallen  in  a  manner 
that  left  my  face  exposed  to  the  front  (which  was  a  fact),  where  the  pupils  of 
my  wide-open  but  unconscious  eyes  had  received  and  retained  the  image  of 
the  events  as  they  transpired,  and  that  the  panoramic  image  thus  retained 
had  been  gradually  developed  to  my  recovered  reason — claiming,  in  fact, 
that  I  had  seen  nothing  of  what  occurred  until  at  least  an  hour  after  it  had 
taken  place.  He  further  explained  that  I  had  never  necessarily  heard  more 
than  the  first  word  of  the  command  to  charge,  but  knowing  what  was  to 
follow,  I  had  anticipated  its  completion  in  my  mind,  and,  as  it  was  the  last 
mental  impression  I  had  received  up  to  the  moment  the  shock  had  rendered 
me  unconscious,  my  returning  reason  had  simply  taken  up  and  completed 
that  final  impression.  Nevertheless,  the  incident,  with  all  its  details, 
remains  as  real  to  me  as  any  event  of  my  lite. 


452  A   BRACE  OF  SPLENDID   WAR  STORIES. 

"  With  the  full  recovery  of  my  faculties,  I  discovered  I  was  lying  with 
my  left  leg  under  my  dead  horse,  and  from  the  pain  my  imprisoned  limb 
gave  me  I  knew  it  must  be  broken.  Raising  myself  on  my  hands,  hoping 
to  discover  some  one  able  to  aid  me,  I  was  pleased  to  see  '  Sammy,'  the 
colonel's  boy,  sitting  up  on  the  spot  w.here  I  had  seen  him  fall,  chatting  as 
lively  as  a  cricket  with  a  blue-coat  who  sat  near  him.  The  Yankee,  I 
learned,  had  been  attracted  by  the  boy's  suffering  cries,  and 

had  crawled  up  the  slope  to  the  side  of  the  wounded  lad, 
the  Enemy. 

where,  making  a  rude  but  serviceable  tourniquet  from  a 
piece  of  his  own  shirt,  he  had  succeeded  in  stopping  the  flow  of  blood  and 
saving  the  youngster's  life.  On  discovering  I  was  alive,  the  Yankee  dragged 
himself  over  to  where  I  lay,  when  I  observed  that  he  was  a  slim,  smooth- 
faced boy,  and,  although  wearing  the  uniform  and  straps  of  a  lieutenant,  he 
certainly  could  not  have  been  more  than  nineteen  years  of  age.  He  told  me 
that  he  was  shot  through  the  lungs,  and  was  very  weak  from  loss  of 
blood,  and,  furthermore,  that  our  cavalry  had  ridden  over  him  in  their 
charge,  injuring  his  leg.  Nevertheless,  he  volunteered  to  try  and  release 
me  from  my  painful  position,  and  began  at  once  by  digging  in  the  soft 
ground  under  my  leg,  using  my  sabre  to  loosen  the  earth,  then  scratching  it 
away  with  his  hands.  After  removing  quite  a  quantity  of  dirt  in  this 
manner,  he  cut  away  my  boot  and  carefully  pulled  it  from  my  foot.  He 
then  got  on  his  knees,  and  putting  his  arms  about  me  dragged  me  bodily 
away  from  under  the  horse.  The  pain  was  so  intense  at  the  movement  of 
my  broken  leg — the  bones  protruding  through  the  skin — that  I  became 
unconscious,  and  remained  so  for  some  time.  Upon  recovering,  I  saw  the 
young  lieutenant  lying  quietly  near  me,  and  '  Sammy '  by  his  side,  bathed 
in  tears.  I  was  surprised  to  see  the  lad  crying,  for,  notwithstanding  his  ugly 
wounds,  he  had  before  seemed  cheerful  enough.  In  reply  to  my  inquiry  as 
to  the  cause  of  his  tears,  he  pointed  to  the  young  officer^  saying,  '  He's 
dead.'  The  boy  then  told  me  that  the  lieutenant's  effort  to  pull  me  from 
under  the  dead  animal  had  broken  his  wounds  open  afresh,  and  that  while  I 
was  lying  unconscious  he  had  bled  to  death. 

"  Sore  with  our  stiffening  wounds,  we  lay  there  waiting  and  hoping  for 
help,  until  the  sun  went  down  and  the  stars  came  out,  and  then,  weak  and 
exhausted  from  loss  of  blood,  we  slept,  the  boy  never  to  wake,  fpr  when 
help  and  morning  finally  came,  we  found  that  in  his  restless  sleep  he  had 
loosened  the  bandage  the  lieutenant's  kindly  hands  had  wound  about  his 
shattered  limb,  and  the  little  fellow,  unconscious  of  the  fact,  had  gone  to 
join  the  generous  foe  that  silent  lay  ^side  him." 


NICKNAMES  OF   1861-1865.  453 

NICKNAMES  OF  J86M865. 

SCHOOLBOYS  and  soldiers  seem  to  share  an  especial  fondness  for  nick- 
names.    In  our  great  war,  the  comrades  that  gathered  around  the 
camp-fires  had  a  familiar  sobriquet  for  almost  every  one  of  theii 
leaders.     Sometimes  it  would  be  a  mere  abbreviation  of  surname  or 
Christian  name  ;  more  often  it  would  be  some  epithet  that  gave  a  picture  of 
the  man — a  character-study  in  miniature,  as  it  were. 

It  would  be  interesting  to  make  a  collection  of  these  war-time  nick- 
names. In  many  cases  they  throw  no  little  light  upon  the  personality  of 
their  wearers,  and  the  relations  that  existed  between  commanders  and  men 
— a  factor  that  often  influenced  the  course  of  a  campaign.  There  was  Gen- 
eral Thomas,  for  instance,  who  will  go  down  to  vhistory  as  the  "  Rock  of 
Chickamauga."  To  his  soldiers  he  was  always  "  Pap  Thomas.'-'  General 
Meade's  spectacles,  and  his  proverbially  keen  powers  of  observation,  were 
alike  commemorated  in  his  familiar  appellation  of  "  Four-eyed  George." 
Meade  accepted  the  name  in  the  kindly  spirit  in  which  it  was  given,  but 
other  officers  were  more  sensitive  to  the  rough  yet  good-natured  humor  of 
their  troops.  General  Butler,  for  example,  could  hardly  be  expected  to  relish 
the  sobriquet  of  "  Old  Cockeye,"  due  to  his  slight  facial  peculiarity.  Hooker, 
too,  is  said  to  have  protested  vigorously  against  "  Fighting  Joe  " — so  vigor- 
ously, indeed,  that  he  frequently  proved  its  aptness. 

"  Rosy,"  for  General  Rosecrans,  was  a  mere  abbreviation.  More  express- 
ive were  "  One-armed  Phil,"  for  General  Kearney,  who  had  left  an  arm  in 
Mexico  ;  "  Saddlebag  John,"  for  General  Pope,  who  once  declared  that  his 
headquarters  were  in  his  saddle  ;  and  the  "  Black  Eagle  of  Illinois,"  for  the 
dashing  Logan.  What  a  wealth  of  affection  and  loyalty  is  crystalized  into 
"Little  Phil,"  the  name  that  Sheridan's  troopers  gave  their  brilliant  leader! 
McClellan,  too,  was  a  commander  of  great  personal  popularity,  and  his  men 
spoke  of  him  as  "Little  Mac." 

Few  of  the  nicknames  of  the  generals  on  the  other  side  of  the  conflict 
are  as  well  known  as  these.  "  Stonewall  "  Jackson  is  historic  ;  General  Lee 
was  always  spoken  of  by  his  faithful,  loving  soldiers  as  "Mars'  Bob."  Gen- 
eral Joseph  E.  Johnston  was  dubbed  "  Uncle  Joe  "  by  his  comrades  during 
the  Mexican  War,  and  continued  to  bear  the  same  title  during  the  "  Civil 
War,"  probably  because  of  his  proverbial  care  and  thoughtfulness  of  his 
men.  General  J.  E.  B.  Stuart  was  always  "Jeb"  to  his  troopers. 

These  patronymics,  like  the  animosities  which  brought  them  into  being, 
no  longer  exist  save  in  memory,  for  all  that  noble  band  are  now  fraternizing 
on  everlasting  fields,  where  war's  drums  and  battle's  screech  are  heard  never 
more. 


454  GENERAL  TAYLOR'S   VICTORY  AT   BUENA  VISTA. 

GENERAL  TAYLOR'S  VICTORY  AT  BUENA  VISTA. 


The  Most  Gallant  Exploit  of  the  Mexican  War,  that  Made  Old 
Rough  and  x  Ready  President. 

BY  EDWARD  S.  ELLIS, 

(Historian.} 

GENERAL  WINFIELD    SCOTf  arrived  off  Vera  Cruz  in  January, 
1846,  and  assumed  command  of  the  American  forces  in   Mexico. 
He  had  come  to  carry  out    the   suggestion    of   General    Zachary 
Taylor  that  Vera  Cruz  should  be  captured  and  made  the  point 
from  which  a  strong  force  should  penetrate  into  Mexico.     To  do  this  effec- 
tively, Scott  took  most  of  Taylor's  best  officers  and  troops,  leaving  him  with 
less  than  5,000  men,  of  whom  not  more  than  one-tenth  were  regulars.     This 
reduction  of  his  effective  strength  was  a  severe  blow  to  Taylor,  who  was 
preparing  to  make  a  vigorous  campaign,  but  he  submitted  without  protest. 
Santa  Anna  had  gathered  an  army  of  twenty  thousand   men,  full   of 
enthusiasm,  and  eager  to  be  led  against  the  "  northern  barbarians."     When 
Taylor  learned  that  his  enemy  was  approaching,  he  was 
exultant,  and  with  his  small  army  he  set  out  to  meet  him.  Santa  Anna's  Bl« 

.    .  Army  sent  to 

He  left  Monterey   on   the  3ist   of    January,  arriving   at     crush   Taylor. 
Saltillo    on   the   2d  of    February.     Pressing  on  to    Aqua 
Nueva,  twenty  miles  south  of  Saltillo,  on  the  San  Luis  road,  he  remained 
nearly  three  weeks,  when  he  fell  back  to  Augustina,  a  gorge  in  the  moun- 
tains opposite   Buena  Vista.     Here  with  his  army  of  barely  five  thousand 
men,  Taylor   strengthened    his   position  and  calmly  awaited  the  coming  of 
his  antagonist. 

On  the  morning  of  February  22,  the  armies  were  almost  within  sight 
of  each  other.  A  flag  of  truce  entered  the  American  camp,  with  the  follow- 
ing message  from  the  Mexican  commander  to  General  Taylor : 

You  are  surrounded  by  twenty  thousand  men,  and  cannot,  in  any  human  probability, 
avoid  suffering  a  rout  and  being  cut  to  pieces  with  your  troops  ;  but,  as  you  deserve  consid- 
eration and  particular  esteem,  I  wish  to  save  you  from  suclj  a  catastrophe,  and  for  that  purpose 
give  you  notice,  in  order  that  you  may  surrender  at  discretion,  under  the  assurance  that  you 
will  be  treated  with  the  consideration  belonging  to  the  Mexican  character;  to  which  end  you 
will  be  granted  an  hour's  time  to  make  up  your  mind,  to  commence  from  the  moment  my 
flag  of  truce  arrives  at  your  camp.  With  this  view,  I  assure  you  of  my  particular  considera- 
tion. God  and  liberty  ! 

ANTONIO  LOPEZ  DE  SANTA  ANNA. 


GENERAI,  TAYLOR'S   VICTORY  AT   BUENA   VISTA.  455 

The  messenger  did  not  have  to  wait  an  hour  to  take  back  the  following 
from  "  Rough  and  Ready  :  " 

SIR: — In    reply  to  your  note  of  this  date,  summoning  me   to  sur- 
A  Laconic  Answer          ,  c 

render  my  forces  at  discretion,  I  beg  leave  to  say  that  I  decline  acceding 

to  your  request.     With  high  respect,  I  am,  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

Z.  TAYLOR. 

Taylor  waited  for  Santa  Anna  to  begin  the  battle.  Well  aware  of  the 
desperate  resistance  he  was  certain  to  meet,  the  Mexican  leader  was  cautious. 
There  was  some  skirmishing  through  the  afternoon  and  night.  Although  it 
was  winter,  the  weather  was  soft  and  balmy,  and  the  music  of  the  Mexican 
bands,  mellowed  by  the  intervening  distance,  floated  to  the  Americans  who 
were  sleeping  upon  their  arms  and  formed  a  strange  prelude  to  the  terrible 
scenes  that  were  to  be  enacted  on  the  morrow. 

It  was  hardly  light  when  the  battle  began  and  raged  furiously  through- 
out the  day.  An  attempt  was  made  to  turn  the  flank  of  the  American  right, 
but  it  was  defeated  by  the  Illinois  troops.  An  assault  against  the  centre 
was  then  repulsed  by  Captain  Washington's  artillery,  after  which  the  left 
flank  was  assailed  furiously.  An  Indiana  regiment,  through  a  mistaken 
order,  gave  way,  and  for  a  time  the  American  army  was  in  peril,  but  the  Mis- 
sissippians  and  Kentuckians  threw  themselves  into  the  breach,  the  Indiana  and 
Illinois  troops  rallied,  and  the  Mexicans  were  driven  back.  General  Taylor, 
standing  near  Captain  Bragg's  battery,  saw  just  then  signs  of  wavering  in 
the  enemy's  line.  "  Give  them  a  little  more  grape,  Cap- 
tain," he  commanded,  and  Bragg-  did  as  he  was  ordered. 

More  Grape." 

At  sunset,  the  Mexicans  broke  and  fled  in  confusion.  The 
Americans  slept  on  their  arms,  expecting  the  battle  to  be  renewed 
in  the  morning,  but  when  daylight  came  it  was  discovered  that  the 
army  had  disappeared,  leaving  five  hundred  dead  and  dying  on 
the  ground.  Many  were  suffering  from  hunger,  thirst  and  exhaus- 
tion, and  General  Taylor  gave  them  all  the  care  possible.  The  Mexi- 
cans lost  about  two  thousand  men,  the  American  casualties  being  seven 
hundred  and  forty-six.  Among  the  killed  was  Colonel  Henry  Clay,  a  son  of 
the  Kentucky  statesman.  Colonel  Jefferson  Davis,  in  command  of  a  Missis- 
sippi regiment,  displayed  great  gallantry.  The  fame  won  by  General  Taylor 
at  Buena  Vista  made  him  President  of  the  United  States  within  the  following 
two  years.  It  was  the  last  battle  in  which  he  ever  took  part.  He  had  nobly 
finished  the  task  assigned  to  him,  and  soon  after  returned  to  the  United 
States. 


456  FOR  TEXAS   INDEPENDENCE. 

FOR  TEXAS  INDEPENDENCE. 


Story  of  the  Most  Terrible  Battle  ever  Fought  on  American  Soil. 
BY  SENORA  CANDELARIA,  A  WITNESS. 

"Thermopylae  had  its  messenger  of  defeat,  but  the  Alamo  had  none." 

SENORA  CANDEIvARIA,  who  died  in  San  Antonio,  Tex.,  on  February 
10,  1899,  at  the  great  age  of  114  years,  was  the  sole  survivor  of  the 
Alamo.  She  alone  could  tell  how  Travis,  Crockett,  Bowie  and  114 
other  heroes  defended  the  old  mission  house  for  fifteen  days  against 
5,000  Mexican  regulars,  led  by  the  ferocious  Santa  Anna  ;  how  they  held  the 
Mexicans  in  check  so  that  the  Texans  might  rally  to  the  defense  of  their 
homes  ;  how  they  fought  until  they  were  overwhelmed  and  annihilated, 
and  won  this  immortal  legend  for  their  monument : 

"  Thermopylae  had  its  messenger  of  defeat,  but  the  Alamo  had  none." 

Three  days  before  her  death  Senora  Candelaria  told  the  tragic  story  of  the 
fiercest  fight  ever  waged  on  American  soil.  Notwithstanding  the  great  age 
of  this  extraordinary  woman  her  mental  faculties  were  singularly  clear,  her 
memory  was  unimpaired  and  her  powers  of  description  were  remarkable,  as 
the  story  taken  from  her  lips  and  recorded  here  shows,  constituting  one  of 
the  most  valuable  contributions  to  history  that  was  ever  made. 

"  Yes,  it  is  true  that  I  was  in  the  Alamo  during  its  siege  and  terrible 
fall,  and  I  am  the  only  survivor  of  that  awful  struggle. 

"  Colonel  Bowie  died  in  my  arms,  shot  dead  by  a  Mexican  bullet  that 
grazed  my  own  chin.  Good  old  Davy  Crockett  died  fighting  like  a  wild 
beast  within  a  few  feet  of  me,  and  brave  Colonel  Travis  within  a  few  feet 
the  other  way,  while  all  around  in  heaps  lay  the  dead  bodies  of  every  man 
who  had  defended  the  Alamo,  tumbled  together  with  three  dead  Mexicans  to 
every  one  of  them. 

"  I  was  in  the  fort  as  a  nurse  for  Colonel  Bowie.  I  was  living  in  San 
Antonio,  near  by.  Five  days  after  the  cannonading  began  in  the  fort — I 
can  never  forget  that  frightful,  incessant  rumble  of  guns ! — five  days  after  it 
began  I  received  a  letter  from  General  Sam  Houston,  which  I  took  as  an 
order  and  obeyed  immediately.  It  read  : 

"  '  Candelarita,'  as  General  Houston  always  called  me,  '  go  and  take  care 
of  Bowie,  my  brother,  in  the  Alamo.'  It  was  signed  'Houston.'  Bowie  had 
typhoid  fever." 


FOR  TEXAS   INDEPENDENCE.  457 

Mine.  Candelaria  briefly  recalled  the  events  that  led  up  to  the  tragedy 

and  sketched  the  heroic  men  that  figured  in  it.     The  commander  of  the 

garrison,    lyieutenant-Colonel   W.    Barrett   Travis,    was   a 

native  of  North  Carolina,  twenty-eight  years  old,  six  feet 
Besieged;  the  • 

Beginning  of  War.  ta^>  a  lawyer.  He  was  on  the  proscribed  list  of  Santa 
Anna.  The  second  in  command  was  Colonel  James  Bowie, 
famous  as  the  inventor  of  the  knife  which  bears  his  name.  He  was  a  native 
of  Georgia.  David  Crockett  was  a  native  of  Tennessee  and  a  typical  fron- 
tiersman, famous  as  a  mighty  hunter.  He  was  elected  for  two  terms  in  the 
House  of  Representatives,  where  he  figured  as  a  sort  of  eccentric.  Failing 
a  third  term,  he  went  to  Texas.  With  twelve  Tennesseeaus  he  arrived 
in  San  Antonio  three  weeks  before  the  siege  of  the  Alamo. 

Determined  to  subjugate  Texas,  Santa  Anna  had  pushed  on  through 
Mexico  to  San  Antonio,  appearing  before  the  Texas  city  on  February  22, 
1836.  After  consolidating  with  Cos  and  Sesma,  Santa  Anna's  army  num- 
bered between  six  and  seven  thousand  men.  This  force  had  been  depleted 
to  about  five  thousand  during  the  hard  winter  march. 

The  small  Texan  garrison  at  San  Antonio  was  taken  by  surprise  and  it 
hastily  retreated  across  the  river  to  the  Alamo,  Lieutenant  A.  M.  Dickenson 
catching  up  his -wife  and  child  on  his  horse  on  the  way. 

Santa  Anna's  demand  for  immediate  surrender  was  answered  by  Colonel 
Travis  with  an  emphatic  "  No  "  from  a  cannon.  The  blood-red  flag  of  "  no 
quarter  "  was  hoisted  on  the  tower  of  the  church  of  San  Fernando  and  the 
siege  was  begun. 

The  mission  .of  the  Alamo  was  established  by  the  Franciscan  friars 
where  it  then  stood,  and  still  stands,  in  1722.  The  buildings  consisted  of  a 
church  with  walls  of  hewn  stone  5  feet  thick  and  22^  feet  high.  The 
church  faced  the  river  and  the  town.  The  central  portion  was  roofless  at  the 
time  of  the  siege,  but  arched  rooms  on  each  side  of  the  entrance  and  the 
sacristy,  which  was  used  as  a  powder  magazine,  were  strongly  covered  with 
a  roof  of  masonry.  The  windows  were  high,  close  and  narrow,  to  protect 
the  congregation  from  Indian  arrows. 

Adjoining  the  church  was  the  convent  yard,  a  hundred  feet  square,  with 
walls  1 6  feet  high  and  3^  feet  thick,  on  the  inside  embanked  by  earth  to 
half  their  height.  At  the  further  corner  of  the  convent  yard  was  a  sally- 
port, defended  by  a  small  redoubt.  The  convent  and  hospital  building,  of 
adobe  bricks,  two  stories  in  height,  extended  along  the  west  side  of  the  yard 
191  feet.  The  main  plaza  in  front  of  the  church  and  convent  covered 
nearly  three  acres.  It  was  enclosed  by  a  wall  8  feet  high  and  33  inches 
thick. 


458  FOR  TEXAS   INDEPENDENCE. 

To  defend  this  place  Travis  had  fourteen  pieces  of  artillery,  but  none 
of  the  Texans  had  been  drilled  in  their  use.  It  was  impossible  to  perfectly 

guard  so  wide  a  space,  so   the  defence  was  concentrated 

,_..,,,  ,  The  Heroic 

about  the  church  and  convent.     Travis  had  been  careless       Defence ;  the 

about  provisions.     Only  three  bushels  of  corn  were  found  Devoted  Garrison. 
at  first  in  the  Alamo,  but  some  eighty  or  ninety  bushels 
were  afterward  discovered  in  one  of  the  houses.     When  it"  took  refuge  in 
the  Alamo  the  garrison  numbered   145  men,  which  was  increased  during 
the  siege  to  177  men.     Few  as  they  were  in  number,  the  men  were  with- 
out military  organization  and  were  held  together  only  by  a  common  heroic 
purpose. 

Santa  Anna  erected  batteries  and  prepared  to  make  a  long  siege,  rather 
than  trust  the  results  of  an  assault  upon  the  stronghold.  The  defenders 
were  equally  cautious,  and,  husbanding  their  ammunition,  made  little  use  of 
their  cannon,  placing  their  reliance  in  the  rifle,  which  they  knew  so  well 
how  to  handle.  General  Castrillon  attempted  to  build  a  bridge  across  the 
river,  but  the  constructing  party  was  within  reach  of  the  rifles  of  the  Texans, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  thirty  were  killed  and  the  survivors  withdrew. 

Little  by  little  the  Mexicans  advanced,  fighting  during  the  day  and 
pushing  forward  during  the  night,  until  the  investment  was  nearly  complete. 
On  March  3  Travis  sent  his  last  message  to  the  government.  In  it  he  said  : 

I  am  still  here,  in  fine  spirits  and  well-to-do.  With  145  men  I  have  held  the  place  against  a 
force  variously  estimated  from  between  fifteen  hundred  to  six  thousand,  and  I  shall  continue  to 
hold  it  until  I  get  relief  from  my  countrymen,  or  I  will  perish  in  its  defence.  We  have  had  a 
shower  of  bombs  and  cannon  balls  continually  falling  among  us  the  whole  time,  yet  none  of  us 
have  been  injured.  ...  A  blood-red  flag  waves  from  the  church  of  Bexar  and  in  the 
camp  above  us,  in  token  that  the  war  is  one  of  vengeance  against  rebels.  .  .  .  These  threats 
have  had  no  influence  upon  my  men  but  to  make  them  fight  with  desperation  and  that  high- 
souled  courage  which  characterizes  the  patriot  who  is  willing  to  die  in  defence  of  his  country, 
,iberty  and  his  honor,  God  and  Texas,  victory  or  death. 

The  Mexicans  had  effected  little  by  their  cannonade,  their  guns  being 
only  field  pieces  of  light  calibre.  The  Texans,  however,  were  worn  by  con- 
stant vigilance  and  frequent  alarms  in  expectation  of  an  assault. 

After  the  last  of  Santa  Anna's  troops  had  arrived,  on  March  2,  they 
took  three  days  to  rest.  On  the  fifth  the  Mexican  general  held  a  council  of 
war  and  determined  on  an  assault  the  next  day.  In  the  meantime,  Madame 
Candelaria  had  entered  the  Alamo  to  nurse  Colonel  Bowie. 

"  After  fighting  like  a  demon  for  ten  days,"  continued  the  centenarian, 
every  muscle  in  her  wrinkled  face  twitching  as  she  warmed  up  to  the  most 
Tragic  part  of  her  story,  "  brave  Colonel  Travis  got  word  that  no  more  men 


FOR  TEXAS   INDEPENDENCE.  459 

could  come  to  his  aid.     He  knew  then  that  there  was  no  hope,  but  he  never 

thought  of  such  a  thing  as  giving  up  the  Alamo  ;  no,  not  he.     He  called  his 

men  together  at  night,  told"  them  how  matters  stood,  and, 

The  Line  of  the     drawing  a  line  on  the  ground  with  his  sword,  said  :  '  Those 

Sword— Death 

Chosen  by  All.  wno  want  to  fight  it  out  with  me  come  inside  that  line, 
and  those  who  have  had  enough  and  think  they  can 
escape  go  outside.'  All  stepped  over  the  line  to  Travis'  side  but  one  Mexi- 
can. Some  say  he  escaped.  I  do  not  know  what  became  of  him. 

"  All  day  and  all  night  long  there  was  shooting  with  cannons  and  with 
rifles.  Sometimes  the  Mexicans  got  brave  and  advanced  in  small  parties, 
but  they  were  always  driven  back.  God  must  have  been  with  the  Texans 
up  to  the  last  day,  for  not  a  man  was  killed  until  then,  although  bombs  and 
cannon  balls  came  thick  and  fast  inside  the  fort  at  times,  and  bullets  kept 
whizzing  through  the  air. 

"  All  this  time  I  was  taking  care  of  good  Colonel  Bowie.  Besides  his 
fever  he  was  suffering  from  a  fall  from  a  platform.  He  was  not  able  to 
get  out  into  the  yard  to  fight,  but  he  would  stay  with  his  men,  and  I  nursed 
him  as  well  as  I  could. 

"  With  so  many  in  the  fort,  and  with  working  and  shooting  going  on  all 
about,  it  was  not  easy  to  take  care  of  a  man  with  a  fever.  But  it  made  little 
difference,  well  or  sick  was  all  the  same  after  Santa  Anna's  savage  men  broke 
into  the  fort.  All  were  shot,  clubbed  or  bayoneted  to  death  together. 

"  Between  three  and  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  March  6,  Sunday,  the 
Mexican  forces  were  formed  for  assault.  The  troops  were  divided  into  four 
columns  and  each  column  was  supplied  with  scaling  ladders,  crowbars  and 
axes.  The  cavalry  were  drawn  around  the  fort  to  prevent  any  attempt  at 
escape,  but,  laws !  there  wasn't  any  need  of  that ! 

"  Through   the  gray  light  of  the   morning  the  bugle  sounded,  and  the 

bands  began  playing  the  Spanish  air  of  '  Deguelo  '  (cut- 
The  Trumpet  Call,     .  •         i     /  AM. 

„  No  Quarter  "  throat).  It  was  the  signal  of  no  quarter.  The  troops  came 
on  a  run.  The.  men  in  the  Alamo  were  ready  for  them, 
and  they  were  received  with  a  fire  from  the  artillery  and  rifles  which  must 
have  killed  scores. 

"  The  column  headed  for  the  northern  wall  was  driven  back  in  a  hurry 
by  Davy  Crockett  and  his  men.  The  attack  on  the  eastern  and  western 
walls  failed,  and  then  all  four  columns  hurried  around  to  the  north  side  of 
the  Alamo  and  were  driven  forward  like  cattle,  by  the  blows  and  curses  of 
their  officers. 

"  There  was  an  awful  drove  of  them — more  men  than  I  had  ever  seen 
together  or  ever  have  since.  Once  again  the  Texans  drove  them  back,  but 


460  FOR  TEXAS   INDEPENDENCE. 

on  the  next  trial  they  scaled  the  wall,  tumbling  over  it  twenty  at  a  time, 
while  the  retreating  Texans  shot  them  at  a  frightful  rate.  The  Mexicans 
carried  the  redoubt  at  the  sally  port  and  swarmed  into  the  convent  yard, 
driving  the  defenders  into  the  convent  and  hospital.  .  ' 

"  It  was  an  awful  scene — Mexicans  and  Texans  all  mixed  up.     The  range 
was  too  short  for  shooting,  so  they  clubbed  their  rifles  and  fought  hand  to 
hand.     The  terrible  bowie  knife  did  great  service.     Some 
of  the  enemy  turned  the  captured  cannon  against  the  soft     The  Er  *  of  the 
adobe  walls  and  began  firing.     Soon  all  was  bang  !  bang  !  Massacre  Begins, 
smoke,  swearing  and  general  confusion.     Crazed  men  were 
fighting  everywhere,  bullets  rattled  against  the  stones  and  blood  spattered 
all  about.     Oh,  there  was  never  anything  so  bad  before  and  I  know  there 
never  has  been  since. 

"  The  Texans  fought  from  room  to  room  in  the  convent,  using  their 
clubbed  rifles  and  their  bowie  knives  so  long  as  they  had  life  in  them. 
Colonel  Travis  and  Colonel  Bonham  fell  dead  early  in  the  struggle  near  the 
door.  Twice  the  Mexicans  fired  a  howitzer  loaded  with  grapeshot  into  the 
big  room  of  the  hospital.  Fifteen  Texans  were  found  dead  in  that  room  and 
the  bodies  of  forty-two  Mexicans  lay  just  outside. 

"  The  last  of  the  fight  took  place  in  the  church,  into  which  the  Mexicans 
poured  in  droves,  having  got  through  the  stockade.      Seeing  that  it  was  all 
up  with  the  defenders,  Major  T.  C.  Evans  started  for  the  powder  magazine 
to  blow  up  the  building,  as  agreed  upon  by  the  defenders. 
But  as  he  entered  the  door  he  was  shot  dead.     I  shudder   *tte"1PLt°  B'°W 

Up  the  Magazine. 

when    I    think    what   would    have   happened    if  he   had 
succeeded.     I  wouldn't  be  here,  that's  certain  ;  no,  there  wouldn't  have  been 
even  one  survivor  of  the  Alamo.     Poor  Davy  Crockett  was  killed  near  the 
entrance  to  the  church,  his  rifle  in  his  hands.     He  was  the  last  to  die. 

"  I  had  hard  work  keeping  Colonel  Bowie  on  his  couch.  He  got  hold  of 
his  two  pistols  and  began  firing  them  off,  shouting  all  the  while  to  his  men 
not  to  give  up.  He  was  raving.  I  had  moved  his  cot  to  the  arched  room  to 
the  left  of  the  entrance  to  the  church. 

"  Finally  a  bullet  whizzed  through  the  door,  grazing  my  chin — see,  it  left 
a  scar  which  is  there  to-day — and  killed  Bowie.  I  had  the  Colonel  in  my 
arms.  I  was  just  giving  him  a  drink.  Mrs.  Dickenson  and  her  child  had 
gone  into  the  room  opposite  the  one  I  was  in.  A  wounded  man,  Walters,  I 
think  was  his  name,  ran  into  that  room  with  Mexicans  after  him.  They 
shot  him  and  then  hoisted  his  body  high  on  their  bayonets  until  his  blood 
ran  down  on  them. 


FOR  TEXAS   INDEPENDENCE.  461 

"  At  nine  o'clock  the  Alamo  had  fallen.  Not  one  of  its  defenders  was 
alive.  It  seemed  to  me  that  the  fighting  lasted  days  instead  of  only  a  few 
hours. 

"  The  Mexicans  spared  all  of  us  women  and  the  children  in  the  fort. 
The  survivors  were  Mrs.  Dickenson  and  her  child ;  Mrs.  Alsbury,  a  niece 
and  adopted  daughter  of  Governor  Veramendi,  and  her  little  sister,  who  had 
gone  to  the  Alamo  with  Colonel  Bowie,  their  brother-in-law;  a  negro  boy, 
servant  of  Colonel  Travis,  and  myself.  They  all  died  long,  long  ago,  and 
poor  old  Senora  Candelaria  cannot  live  much  longer. 

"  After  the  fighting  was  ended,  five  men  who  had  hidden  themselves  were 
found  by  the  victors.  By  this  time  Santa  Anna  had  left  his  shelter  and 
come  to  the  shattered  fort.  The  five  men  were  brought  before  him.  A  kind 
officer  asked  that  they  be  kept  prisoners,  but  Santa  Anna  laughed  and 
ordered  his  soldiers  to  kill  the  men  with  their  bayonets. 

"  Then,  by  order  of  Santa  Anna,  the  bodies  of  all  the  dead  Texans  were 
piled  in  a  heap  with  brush  and  wood  and  burned.  That  was  the  end  of  the 
heroes  of  that  great  struggle.  Is  it  any  wonder  that  the  old  senora's  thin 
blood  runs  a  little  faster  whenever  she  hears  '  Remember  the  Alamo?'  " 

Senora  Candelaria  did  not  tell  the  story  as  connectedly  as  it  is  here  set 
down.  She  was  very  feeble  then,  but  possibly  realizing  that  her  end  was 
near  she  threw  all  of  the  fire  left  in  her  worn  old  brain  into  the  telling.  Sit- 
ting in  the  sunshine  in  sight  of  the  Alamo  she  loved 
Past  The  Seeress  so  lnucn>  sne  unfolded  the  narrative  slowly,  with  fre- 
of  Slaughter.  quent  intervals  for  rest.  She  spoke  mostly  in  Spanish,  with 
occasionally  a  sentence  in  broken  English.  Her  voice  had 
lost  its  force,  but  her  hands  had  not.  Her  gestures,  were  eloquent.  Much 
of  the  story  was  told  by  gestures,  for  which  words  have  been  supplied. 

Apart  from  her  wonderful  experience  in  the  Alamo,  Senor  Candelaria's 
life  was  full  of  incident.  She  was  born  amid  turmoil.  Her  parents,1  Don 
Jose  Antonio  and  Senora  Castanon,  led  a  party  of  settlers  along  the  Rio 
Grande  in  1785.  They  halted  for  a  night  on  the  bank  of  the  river  where 
Laredo  now  stands.  That  night  they  were  attacked  by  Indians.  During 
the  panic  which  ensued,  while  the  settlers  were  shouting,  clapping  their 
hands  and  swaying  the  bushes  in  order  to  lead  the  savages  astray  as  to  their 
number,  the  future  Madame  Candelaria  was  born.  After  soldiers  from  Rio 
Grande  had  driven  the  Indians  away,  the  settlers  returned  and  founded  the 
town  of  Laredo.  There  the  battle-born  Mexican  child  grew  to  womanhood, 
noted  for  her  beauty.  When  she  was  eighteen  she  married  and  moved  to 
San  Antonio.  Her  first  husband  was  killed  by  Indians  while  on  a  surveying 


462  DECATUR,  THE  YANKEE   TAR 

expedition.  She  married  again,  and  her  second  husband  met  an  equally 
violent  death.  She  had  three  sons,  only  one  of  whom  lived  to  manhood. 

The  State  of  Texas  long  ago  voted  her  a  small  pension,  and  she  lived  in 
a  little  cottage  near  the  Alamo.  Toward  the  end  she  grew  blind,  and 
tottered  the  last  few  steps  of  her  long  road  to  the  grave  in  darkness. 

Texas  will  see  that  her  memory  is  kept  green. 


DECATUR,  THE  YANKEE  TAR. 

BY  COLVILLE  BALDWIN. 

IT  was  a  bright,  cool  morning  in  October,   1812,  that  the  great  fight 
between   the  American  frigate,  the  "United  States,"  commanded  by 
thfe   immortal    Decatur,  whose   fame  is  the  common  heritage  of  the 
American    people,  North  and    South    alike,  and  the    British  frigate 
"  Macedonian,"  commanded  by  Captain  Garden,  took  place. 

As  an  illustration  of  the  grand  fighting  qualities  that  belong  to  the 
American  Navy,  it  deserves  a  place  even  above  that  which  would  naturally 
be  given  it  as  a  story  of  mere  heroic  achievement.  Without  courage  man 
is  a  poor  thing.  The  coward  is  everywhere  and  universally  despised.  And 
yet  courage  is^a  quality  found  with  almost  every  people,  in  differing  forms 
and  degrees. 

There  is  a  courage  of  brutality  which  has  won  many  battles,  oftener 
on  the  wrong  than  the  right  side.  It  is  based  upon  a  cruel  instinct  for 
blood,  a  fierce,  wild  impulse  to  conquer  and  hold  others  in  subjection,  and 
an  utter  disregard  of  all  chivalric  considerations. 

There  is,  again,  a  courage  that  is  born  of  a  devotion  to  a  noble  cause, 
as,  for  instance,  when  it  springs  from  so  great  a  love  for  liberty  for  all  man- 
kind that  its  possessor  willingly  dares  the  worst  that  may 
befall  man,  and  cheerfully  sacrifices  not  only  life,  but  his     ^the  Good?85 
own  freedom,  that  others  may  enjoy  that  which  he  sets 
above  all  other  earthly  blessings.     This  courage  can  only  be  found  in  the 
loftiest,  noblest  spirit.     It  cannot  exist  in   the  vulgar,  commonplace  man. 
It  flourishes  by  the  side  of  the  sweeter  attributes  of    that  type  of  human 
nature  nearest  akin   to  the  divine.     The   man  who  has  it   is  sympathetic, 
tender  toward   misfortune,  unselfish  in  impulse,  even  to  the  utmost  of  per- 
sonal sacrifice,  scorning  that  which  is  low  and  unworthy,  yielding  to  the 


DECATUR,    THE    YANKEE  TAR.  463 

leadings  of  the  heart  even  after  bitter  experiences  which  in  another  would 
chill  the  confidence  of  man  in  his  fellow-man.  Our  own  American  poet  has 
sung  of  the  men  who  have  this  heaven-inspired  courage : 

"  The  bravest  are  the  tenderest, 
The  loving  are  the  daring." 

In  these  two  lines  he  paints  the  composite  picture  of  the  long  list  of 
heroes  whose  exploits  crowd  the  pages  of  American  history. 

And  of  these,  no  man  was  more  deservedly  conspicuous,  no  man  more 
universally  loved,  no  man  more  distinguished  for  the  possession  of  the  char- 
acteristics of  the  highest  type  of  manhood,  than  Commodore  Stephen  Decatur. 

He  was  born  at  Sinnepuxent,  Md.,  January  5,  1779,  and  was  the  son  of 
Captain  Stephen  Decatur,  also  for  many  years  an  officer  of  the  United  States 
Navy.  The  younger  Stephen,  the  subject  of  our  sketch,  entered  the  service 
in  1798  as  a  midshipman,  and  so  efficient  was  he  that  a  year  later  he  was 
promoted  lieutenant.  It  is  a  coincidence  that  before  joining  the  navy  he 
was  employed,  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  to  superintend  the  getting  out  of 
the  keel  pieces  for  the  frigate  "  United  States,"  that  he  was  in  that  vessel 
when  she  was  launched,  was  assigned  to  her  as  midshipman  when  he  first 
entered  the  service,  and  afterward  as  lieutenant,  subsequently  commanded 
her  as  captain,  as  well  as  when  she  served  as  flag-ship  of  one  of  the  squad- 
rons of  which  he  was  commodore,  and  in  her  fought  one  of  the  most  brilliant 
battles  history  records.  She  seems  to  have  been  a  favorite  with  him,  and 
right  staunchly  did  she  respond  to  every  deinand  her  great  commander  made 
upon  her. 

From  the  beginning  of  his  career,  Decatur  manifested  those  heroic  im- 
pulses which  have  made  his  name  and  fame  an  imperishable  ornament  to  the 
history  of  our  navy — a  matter  of  undying  pride  to  every  true  American.  As 
a  youth  it  was  said  of  him  that  he  was  possessed  of  an  uncommon  character, 
was  an  officer  of  rare  promise,  "  one  not  equaled  in  a  million."  While  still 
a  midshipman,  serving  on  board  the  "  United  States,"  he  was  on  deck  one 
day  when,  in  the  midst  of  a  howling  tempest,  the  ship  rang  with  the  cry, 
"  Man  overboard  !  "  and  the  boats  were  lowered  away. 

"  Without  hesitation,"  says  the  historian,  "  Decatur  sprang  from    the 

mizzen-chains,  and  in  a  few  moments  his  muscular  arms  were  holding  the 

drowning  man  above  the  waves,  which  he  continued  to  do 

"save "toother0   until  the  boats reached  the  sPot>  when  lie  passed  the  nearly 
dying  youth  into  one  of  them,  and  then  climbed  in  him- 
self.    It  is  of  such  men  that  heroes  are  made,   and  the  one  that  Decatur 
saved,  while  himself  gaining  celebrity,  lived  to  see  his  preserver  attain  a 


464  DECATUR,   THE  YANKEE  TAR. 

fame  unsurpassed  oy  that  of  any  officer  of  his  time  in  the  American  Navy." 
Decatur  served  as  lieutenant  under  Commodore  Barry,  on  the  West 
India  Station,  and  in  1801  joined  the  frigate  "  Essex,"  and  was  sent  to  the 
Mediterranean,  under  Commodore  Dale,  in  consequence  of  the  hostilities 
with  Tripoli.  Here  he  afterwards  served  under  Captain  James  Barroii,  as 
first  lieutenant  of  the  frigate  "  New  York,"  and  distinguished  himself  on 
every  opportunity.  At  Malta  he  was  second  to  an  American  ensign,  Joseph 
Bainbridge,  who  fought  a  duel  with  a  British  officer  who  lost  his  life  in  the 
affair.  In  1803  Commodore  Preble  was  sent  to  take  charge  of  the  squadron, 
which  had  been  greatly  strengthened,  and  Decatur  was  placed  in  command, 
first  of  the  brig  "  Argus,"  and  subsequently  the  "  Enterprise." 

It  was  at  this  time  that  he  gained  great  renown  by  recapturing  and 
burning  the  frigate  "  Philadelphia,"  an  American  ship,  which  had  fallen 
into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  She  was  lying  in  the  harbor  of  Tripoli,  sur- 
rounded by  other  Tripolitan  warships,  and  under  protection  of  shore 
batteries  and  forts.  Selecting  a  crew  of  seventy  men  and  thirteen  officers, 
he  placed  them  on  board  a  captured  Tripolitan  vessel  called  the  "  Intrepid," 
and  boldly  sailed  into  the  port  on  the  night  of  February  15,  1804.  He  had  a 
Greek  pilot,  and  under  the  pretense  of  a  vessel  in  distress,  got  alongside  the 
"  Philadelphia  "  before  his  true  character  was  detected.  Followed  by  his 
men,  he  sprang  on  board  the  doomed  ship,  and,  after  a  fierce  fight,  obtained 
possession  of  and  destroyed  her  by  burning,  having  only  one  man  wounded, 
and  he  but  slightly,  while  the  enemy  suffered  severely.  This  feat  was  pro- 
nounced by  Admiral  Nelson  "the  most  daring  act  of  the 
age,"  and  in  recognition  of  his  courage  and  skill  Decatur  °"*  °f  the  M°st  Dar' 

ing  Acts  of  History. 

was  at  once  commissioned  a  full  captain,  and  a  sword  was 

voted  him  by  Congress,  he  being  then  only  twenty-five  years  of   age.     His 

gallant  crew  was  also  handsomely  rewarded. 

The  remarkable  career  of  this  brave  man  cannot,  however,  be  followed 
minutely  in  the  limits  of  this  article.  During  the  subsequent  hostilities  with 
Tripoli,  he  continued  to  distinguish  himself.  In  August,  1804,  having  three 
Neapolitan  gun-boats  under  his  command,  he  participated  in  an  attack  upon 
the  enemy's  flotilla  of  gun-boats,  which  were  lying  under  the  guns  of  the 
shore  batteries  and  a  formidably  armed  brig.  Each  of  his  boats  singled  out 
and  boarded  an  antagonist,  and,  after  desperate  hand-to-hand  conflicts  with 
sword  and  pistol,  overpowered  them.  Decatur  captured  a  vessel,  and,  taking 
her  in  tow,  went  after  a  second.  On  boarding  her,  he  engaged  in  a  personal 
and  most  desperate  struggle  with  her  commander,  who,  after  pretending  to 
surrender  to  Lieutenant  James  Decatur,  our  hero's  brother,  had  treacherously 
assassinated  him.  After  a  few  moments  of  fierce  fighting,  Decatur  killed 


DECATUR,   THE  YANKEE  TAR.  465 

his  opponent  and  held  the  vessel.  In  this  action,  Decatur  lost  only  fourteen 
killed  and  wounded,  while  the  enemy's  loss  amounted  to  fifty-two,  out  of 
eighty. 

When  the  war  of  1812  broke  out,  Captain  Decatur  was  placed  in  com- 
mand of  a  squadron,  with  his  old  friend,  the  "  United  States,"  carrying  forty- 
four  guns,  for  a  flag-ship,  and  it  was  on  the  twenty-fifth  of  October  that  he 
met  and  captured  the  "  Macedonian,"  as  we  are  about  to  describe. 

Captain  John  Garden,  of  the  Royal  Navy,  who  was  in  command  of  the 
"  Macedonian,"  was  one  of  the  ablest  and  most  famous  of  the  officers  of  the 
British  Navy,  conspicuous  no  less  for  his  skill  than  daring  and  tenacious 
bravery.  He  and  Decatur  had  become  acquainted  prior  to  the  war,  and  had 
learned  to  esteem  each  other  most  highly.  When  the  two  vessels  came  near 
enough  to  each  other  to  be  recognized,  each  commander  felt  at  once  that  he 
had  met  his  peer,  and  that  the  fight  to  follow  would  be  a  duel  to  the  death. 

The  "  Macedonian  "  was  an  entirely  new  ship,  having  just  been  built 
and  equipped  at  the  Portsmouth  navy-yard,  whence  she  had  sailed  only  two 
weeks  previous.  She  mounted  forty  guns,  consisting  of  thirty-eight  carro- 
nades,  a  pivot-gun  on  the  forecastle,  and  a  smaller  piece  on  the  quarter-deck. 
She  had  300  men  aboard,  a  selected  crew,  all  but  twenty  of  whom  were 
veteran  and  well-trained  man-of-war's  men. 

The  fight  took  place  off  the  Azores,  about  two  hundred  miles  distant  in 
a  southwesterly  direction.  As  has  been  said,  the  morning  was  bright  and 
cool.  The  sea  was  fair,  with  a  heavy  swell  running.  The 
caPtain  of  tne  "  Macedonian,"  evidently  not  anticipating  a 
call  from  his  old  friend,  had  concluded  that  for  that  day 
his  men  should  enjoy  a  much-needed  relaxation  from  the  rigorous  routine  of 
drill  and  hard  labor  incident  to  life  on  a  man-of-war,  and  especially  severe  on 
board  the  "  Macedonian,"  a  new  ship  to  which  everybody  was  strange.  He 
therefore  gave  orders  that  the  members  of  the  crew  should  be  permitted  to 
engage  in  sports  and  amuse  themselves  in  such  way  as  they  chose,  and,  by 
his  direction,  they  were  given  an  extra  allowance  of  grog. 

All  went  merrily  for  an  hour  or  two.  The  men,  released  from  the  toil- 
some duties  which  for  weeks  had  pressed  upon  them  to  the  entire  exclusion 
of  everything  like  pleasure,  entered  upon  the  enjoyment  of  the  occasion 
with  the  keenest  zest.  Fiddles  were  produced,  and  while  in  one  part  of  the 
ship  the  nimble-footed  tars  were  showing  off  their  fancy  steps  in  hornpipes 
and  jigs,  in  another,  groups  surrounded  the  singers,  who,  to  the  accompani- 
ment of  wheezy  instruments,  sang  the  rhymed  legends  of  the  glorious  deeds 
of  valor  performed  by  the  British  hearts  of  oak.  Apart  from  these  sat  the 
veteran  salt,  spinning  the  endless  yarns  of  strange  and  moving  incidents 
30 


466  DECATUR,   THE  YANKEE  TAR. 

that  a  life-time  at  sea  had  supplied.  Here  was  one  writing  home,  to  wife  or 
sweetheart,  there  another  conned  laboriously  the  Bible  his  dear  old  mother 
had  given  him.  Scattered  about,  the  prudent  and  careful  fellows,  wonder- 
fully deft  with  big  needles  and  coarse,  yarn-like  thread,  repaired  their  cloth- 
Ing.  Some  sought  in  sleep  to  repair  the  wear  of  the  hard  strain  of  the  past 
fortnight  of  incessant  labor,  while  some  lounged  about,  pipe  in  mouth,  en- 
joying the  unsurpassable  luxury  of  doing  nothing,  saying  nothing  and  think- 
ing nothing.  The  frigate  was  spinning  along  under  top-sails,  top-gallant 
sails  and  courses.  The  day  bade  fair  to  be  one  of  pleasant  repose  and  com- 
fort to  all,  and  there  was  no  thought  or  presentiment  of  the  awful  scene  so 
soon  to  present  itself. 

In  the  meantime,  on  board  the  American  ship  everything  was  proceed- 
ing in  the  usual  routine  of  the  American  man-of-war.  The  morning  duties 
had  all  been  performed  ;  the  decks  were  white  after  a  vigorous  holy-stoning, 
the  brasses  had  been  cleaned,  the  guns  carefully  looked  after,  and  everything 
was  ship-shape.  The  gallant  Decatur  was  never  caught  napping.  His  look- 
outs at  the  mast  head  knew  too  well  the  man  they  served  with  to  relax  for 
an  instant  the  vigilance  with  which  they  scrutinized  the  great  waste  of  water 
in  every  quarter,  on  the  alert  for  the  enemy. 

The  serenity  and  repose  on  board  the  "  Macedonian  "  was  suddenly  dis- 
turbed by  a  hail  from  the  foretop  mast-head  : 

"  Sail  ho  !  " 

Captain  Garden  sprang  at  once  up  the  companion-way,  leading  from  his 
cabin  to  the  deck. 

"  Can  you  make  her  out  ?  " 

"  Can't  make  her  out,  sir  !  " 

At  once  the  scene  was  changed !  In  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  every 
man  was  filled  with  excitement.  The  sound  of  the  fiddling  and  dancing 
came  to  an  abrupt  close.  The  singer  stopped  half-way  in 

his  droning  verse,  the  yarn-spinner  dropped  his  story  at        Hushed  arc 

all  Sounds 
the  most  interesting  point,  the  letter   writer  threw  down     of  Merriment. 

his  pen,  the  reader  stuffed  his  Bible  into  the  bosom  of  his 
loose  shirt,  and  the  sleeping  man  was  in  an   instant  broad  awake,   peering 
over  the  side  for  the  strange  sail.     After  a  lapse  of  two  or  three  minutes, 
Captain  Garden  again  called  out : 

"  Mast-head  there  1 " 

"Ay, ay,  sir!" 

"  Can  you  make  out  that  sail  ?  " 

"  She's  a  square-rigged  vessel,  sir !  " 

"  Here,  Mr, ,"  said  the  captain,  summoning  an  officer  to  his  side, 


DECATUR,   THE  YANKEE  TAR.  467 

"  send  a  lookout  to  each  mast-head,  and  an  officer  into  the  top,  and  keep  a 
close  eye  on  that  fellow." 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir." 

A  moment  later  caine  a  voice  from  aloft — 

"  A  frigate,  sir,  and  bearing  down  upon  us  !  " 

"  Can  you  make  out  his  rig  ?" 

"  He  looks  like  a  Yankee,  sir !" 

That  settled  it !  Surrounded  by  his  senior  officers,  the  captain  gave  his 
orders  promptly  and  comprehensively.  Turning  to  his  executive,  he  said 
quietly : 

"  Clear  ship  for  action,  sir,  and  get  the  people  to  the  guns  !" 

Scarcely  had  the  last  word  left  his  lips,  when  the  shrill  whistle  of  the 
boatswain  summoned. all  hands  to  stations.  Springing  to  their  work  with  the 
greatest  alacrity,  the  300  nimble  fellows  swarmed  all  over  the  vessel,  and  in 
three  minutes  the  bulkheads  were  knocked  down,  the  preventer-braces 
reeved  off,  the  rigging  "swiftened  down,"  boats  made  secure,  boarding 
netting  rigged,  ladders  unshipped,  hammocks  transformed  into  breast-works, 
and  everything  in  shape  for  action. 

Be  sure  the  American  ship  was  no  less  well  prepared.  Decatur's  look- 
out had  sighted  the  "  Macedonian  "  even  before  Captain  Garden  had  been 
called  from  his  cabin,  and  Decatur  was  on  deck  sweeping  the  horizon  with 
his  glass,  impatiently  seeking  his  antagonist.  So  soon  as  her  whereabouts 
was  located,  he  clapped  on  all  sail,  and  staggering  under  her  weight  of  can- 
vas, the  "  United  States  "  bore  rapidly  down  upon  her. 

The  long  roll  of  the  drum  summoned  the  "  Macedonian's  "  people  to 
the  guns.  They  were  cool  and  skillful.  Seasoned  in  a  hundred  fights,  and 
filled  with  a  belief  in  the  invincibility  of  the  British 
e  Navy,  they  had  no  doubt  as  to  the  result.  Of  all  fighting 
peoples  on  earth,  the  English  at  that  day  acknowledged 
no  superiors,  and  especially  none  at  sea.  It  was  no  child's  play  upon  which 
the  Americans  were  about  to  enter,  and  right  well  did  Decatur  know  it. 
But  the  thought  only  spurred  him  on  to  greater  haste,  and  inspired  his  cour- 
age to  a  loftier  determination. 

At  last  he  came  within  2,000  yards  of  the  "  Macedonian,"  which,  under 
foresail,  fore,  main  and  mizzen-top  sails,  main -clew-garnets  hauled  up,  royal 
yards  in  the  rigging,  and  top-gallant  sails  furled,  and  with  her  jib,  foretop- 
gallant  staysail  and  spanker  set,  was  eagerly  closing  in.  Even  when  Captain 
Garden  became  satisfied  that  it  was  Decatur  with  whom  he  had  to  fight,  he 
showed  no  hesitation  although  he  became  more  wary.  He  passed  calmly 
among  his  men,  cheering  them  with  words  of  encouragement 


468  DECATUR,   THE  YANKEE  TAR. 

At  1,50x3  yards,  the  "  Macedonian  "  opened  up  with  a  shot  or  two  from 
her  pivot-gun  forward,  but  they  fell  short,  without  damage.  *  Decatur  made 
no  response,  but  pressed  steadily  on.  Again  the  "  Macedonian  "  essayed  to 
bring  matters  to  an  issue,  opening  on  the  "  United  States  "  with  three  of  her 
port  guns.  Being  to  windward,  she  had  a  great  advantage  in  manoeuvring. 
The  port  guns  also  failed  to  reach.  Impatiently,  the  two  ships  rushed  closer 
together,  till  finally  the  distance  was  reduced  to  1,000  yards. 

This  was  the  time  Decatur  was  waiting  for.     He  knew  that  the  decisive 
moment  had  arrived.     At  the  lifting  of  his  hand,  his  gun-deck  battery  opened 
up,  and,  following  his  instructions  previously  given,  the  shot  ripped  through 
the  enemy's  sails,  his  object  being  to  cripple  her  at  once.     Simultaneously, 
the  u  Macedonian"  opened  up  with  every  gun  that  could  be 
brought  to  bear  ;  but  without  effect.     Either  the  distance  The  Battle  Opens. 
was  still  too  great,   or  the  marksmanship    was  bad.     At 
all  events  Captain  Garden,  seeing  that  he  was  likely  to  be  disabled  before  he 
could  even  injure  his  adversary,  ordered  the  firing  to  cease,  and  bent  all  his 
energies  to  closing  in  on  the  "  United  States." 

At  500  yards,  he  opened  fire  again,  and  this  time  with  some  effect.  But 
the  fates  were  against  him.  From  the  moment  Decatur's  first  gun  opened, 
the  fire  from  the  "  United  States  "  was  incessant  and  directed  with  rare  skill. 
The  "  Macedonian's  "  mizzen-top  mast  went  by  the  board,  and  the  main  mast 
was  now  the  mark  for  Decatur's  fire.  The  British  marines  were  drawn  up 
in  the  waist,  and  shots  from  the  American  guns  were  tearing  great  holes 
through  them.  Garden  ordered  them  forward,  and  then  distributed/  them 
about  the  vessel  as  sharpshooters. 

Decatur  pounded  away  like  a  fiend.  The  "  Macedonian's "  main-top 
mast  went  down,  and  wreck  clearers  were  called  away. 

The  scene  at  this  moment  was  indescribable.  Every  available  gun  on 
each  ship  was  hot  from  rapid  and  incessant  firing.  Broadside  after  broadside 
was  poured  into  the  oaken  ribs  of  the  noble  vessels,  which  seemed  like  sentient 
things,  and  trembled  and  shook  with  the  shock  of  the  conflict.  The  very 
sunlight  of  heaven  was  obscured  by  the  smoke.  Splinters  filled  the  air,  the 
shrieks  and  groans  of  the  wounded  smote  the  ear  with  appalling  significance, 
and  the  sharp,  short  orders  of  the  officers,  with  the  stern  "  ay,  ay,  sir,"  of 
the  responses,  came  through  set  teeth,  as  the  men  breathed  hard  and  set  all 
upon  the  hazard  of  the  fateful  moment. 

Decatur,  having  pretty  well  destroyed  the  "  Macedonian's "  rigging, 
now  directed  his  fire  to  the  gun-deck  of  his  enemy.  Crash  after  crash,  the 
volleys  filled  the  air  with  booming  thunder,  as  of  a  deafening  summer 


DECATUR,    THE  YANKEE  TAR.  469 

storm.     From  the  "  Macedonian,"  survivors  say,  the  American  ship  seemed 

to  vomit  forth  solid  masses  of  fiery  flames. 

The  havoc  was  frightful,  and  the  slaughter  on  the  "  Macedonian  "  was 

sickening.  One  shot  killed  and  wounded  seven  men.  Another  caught  two 
powder-monkeys  and  dashed  their  bodies,  mangled  out  of 
all  semblance  to  human  forms,  into  the  carlins  overhead. 

Red  Decks. 

About  the  main-mast  lay  thirty  marines,  some  dead,  and 
some  wounded  and  dying.  The  door  of  the  cockpit  was  surrounded  by  the 
poor,  mangled  fellows,  who  lay  about  in  heaps,  their  yells  of  pain  ringing 
out  even  over  the  roar  of  battle.  Every  sail  on  the  "  Macedonian  "  was  gone 
but  the  foresail.  She  was  almost  utterly  crippled,  and  yet,  with  the  advant- 
age of  wind  and  sea  in  her  favor,  she  was  still  a  most  formidable 
antagonist. 

Captain  Garden  maintained  his  post  on  the  quarter  deck,  undismayed 
by  the  horrible  slaughter  of  his  men,  and  the  destruction  of  his  vessel. 
Feeling  that  he  had  but  one  chance  to  retrieve  almost  certain  disaster,  he 
gave  orders  to  bring  the  "  Macedonian  "  alongside,  and  every  effort  was  made 
to  accomplish  this. 

Decatur  saw  the  point  as  quickly  as  the  commander  of  the  "  Mace-* 
donian  "  did.  He  knew  that  it  was  to  his  advantage  to  keep  his  antagonist 
where  he  could  pour  his  heavy  volleys  into  her  until  she  became  helpless. 
But  it  took  skill  and  seamanship  to  avoid  the  contact  which  favoring  circum- 
stances seemed  about  to  enable  the  British  commander  to  bring  about. 
Keeping  up  his  tremendous  cannonading,  therefore,  Decatur  at  last  met  his 
opportunity,  and  by  an  adroit  manoeuvre,  drove  out  of  the  smoke  ahead, 
when  the  "  Macedonian  "  was  not  more  than  a  pistol  shot  away,  then  gave 
his  order  to  destroy  his  adversary's  foresail.  A  vigorous  use  of  sections  of 
chain  and  bags  of  bolts  fired  from  his  forward-  guns  soon  tore  the  canvas 
completely  to  pieces.  Then,  swinging  around  under  her  stern,  he  had  the 
"  Macedonian"  completely  at  his  mercy,  and  her  flag  was  hauled  down. 

Decatur  sent  Lieutenant  Allen  on  board  the  "  Macedonian "  to  take 
possession.  When  that  officer  arrived  there  he  was  fairly  shocked,  seasoned 
fighter  as  he  was,  at  the  dreadful  sight  that  met  his  eyes.  The  decks  were 
literally  running  with  blood,  and  the  dripping  of  the  crimson  fluid  onto 
the  gun-deck  from  the  deck  overhead,  where  the  killed  and  wounded  lay  in 
piteous  heaps,  was  like  the  falling  of  a  ghastly  rain.  To  keep  the  decks 
clear,  the  British  had  thrown  at  least  twenty  bodies  overboard,  some  of  them 
having  been  thrust  through  the  port-holes,  even  before  life  had  left  their 
bodies. 


470 


DECATUR,   THE  YANKEE  TAR.~ 


Short  Shift  for 
the  Wounded. 


The  surgeons  were  busy  in  the  cockpit,  working  with  an  earnestness  and 
zeal  that  seemed  almost  inhuman.     The  amputation  of  a  limb  was  a  quick 
process.     The  cut  was  made  with  lightning-like  quickness, 
the  saw  grated  savagely  through  the  bone,  the  flap  was 
slapped  back,  and  a  coating  of  hot  pitch  was  pressed  upon 
the  bleeding  stump  to  sear  the  wound. 

Out  of  her  300  men  the  "Macedonian"  had  lost  112.  The  rigging  and 
masts  were  almost  utterly  destroyed,  and  her  hull  had  been  riddled  by  more 
than  100  solid  shot. 

The  meeting  of  Decatur  and  Garden  was  a  painful  one  to  both  of  them, 
but  it  gave  to  the  generosity  and  nobility  of  Decatur's  character  an  oppor- 
tunity to  display  itself.  As  has  been  said,  the  two  men  were  old  friends. 
There  was  also  a  singularly  marked  resemblance  between  them,  not  only  in 
form  and  features,  but  in  their  finer  characteristics  of  heart  and  mind. 

The  British  captain,  almost  heart-broken  over  his  defeat  and  the  awful 
sufferings  of  his  men,  advanced  toward  Decatur,  with  his  sword  extended, 
handle  first,  in  token  of  surrender,  but  littering  no  word.  With  a  grand 
impulse  which  nothing  could  restrain,  Decatur  waved  the  sword  aside,  and 
came  impetuously  forward,  with  both  hands  extended — 

"  Captain  Garden,  I  could  never  forgive  myself  if  I  took  the  sword  from 
the  hands  of  a  man  who  has  used  it  with  the  bravery  and  courage  you  have 
displayed.  I  decline  to  take  it !  " 

The  "  Macedonian "  after  two  days'  hard  work,  was  rigged  up  with 
jurymasts,  and,  accompanied  by  the  "  United  States,"  was  taken  to  New 
London,  under  command  of  Lieutenant  Allen.  After  having  been  thoroughly 
repaired,  she  was  refitted  as  an  American  war-ship,  and  afterwards  formed 
one  of  a  squadron  commanded  by  her  valiant  captor. 

Captain  Garden,  upon  exchange,  was  tried  and  acquitted  of  all-  blame 
for  having  lost  his  ship,  and  remained  for  many  years  an  ornament  to  the 
Royal  Navy,  and  a  steadfast  friend  to  Stephen  Decatur  till  the  day  of  that 
noble  ruan's  untimely  taking  off. 


NINETY   MEN   AGAINST  TWO  THOUSAND  47 1 

90  MEN  AGAINST  2,000. 

BY  LIEUTENANT  R.  H.  JAYNE. 

THERE'S  no  use  of   denying   that  we  made  a  sorry  exhibition  with 
our  land  forces  at  the  opening  of  the  War  of  1812.     It  brings  a 
blush  to  the  cheek,  to  recall   the  surrender  of  Detroit  by  the  timid 
old  General  Hull  ;  the   cowardice  of  the  militia  of  New  York  at 
Niagara  ;  the  abortive  attempts  at  the  invasion  of  Canada  ;  the  humiliating 
capture  and  burning  of    Washington  (relieved   by  the  splendid   valor  of 
Commodore  Barney  and  his  marines   at  the  Bladensburg  bridge),  and  the 
general  hurly-burly  of  the  campaigns.     These  were  not  of  a  nature  to  cause 
a  quickening  of  the  pulse  of  an  American,  though  often  lit  up  by  thrilling 
instances  of  bravery,  ending  in  more  than  one  magnificent  victory,  as  the 
officers  and  the  troops  swung  into  place,  and  grasped,  as  may  be  said,  the 
exigencies  of  the  situation. 

But  on  the  ocean,  how  we  made  things  hum  !     From  the  days  of  the 

old  Vikings,  a  thousand  years  ago,  down  through  the  fierce  conflicts  between 

the  nations  of  Europe  on  the  high  seas,  and  the  tremen. 

,    dous  blows  struck  by  Paul  Jones  and  the  privateers  in^he 

Brave  Days  of  Old  .  .     . 

Revolution,  no  more  stirring  naval  battles  shook  the  deep 
and  dyed  the  waves  with  crimson,  than  took  place  between  our  infant  navy, 
in  the  War  of  1812,  and  the  mighty  fleets  of  Great  Britain,  the  "mistress 
of  the  seas." 

We  were  caught  unprepared.  We  had  a  few  men-of-war,  the  number 
hardly  worth  mentioning,  while  the  English  navy  numbered  1,036  vessels, 
of  which  254  were  ships-of-the-line,  every  one  carrying  at  least  seventy  guns 
of  large  calibre.  She  had  thirty-five  war  vessels  at  the  different  stations  on 
our  coast,  ready  for  action,  the  whole  manned  by  a  prodigious  force  of 
144,000  sailors, 

No  wonder  our  government  decided  to  make  no  contest  against  such 
overwhelming  odds.  Where  would  we  have  been  but  for  the  protest  of 
those  grim  sea-dogs,  Bainbridge,  Stewart  and  others  ?  They  succeeded  in 
gaining  the  consent  of  the  government  that  the  privateers  should  have  a 
chance,  along  with  the  few  men-of-war,  whose  officers  and  crews  were  yearn- 
ing for  an  opportunity  of  measuring  strength  with  the  British  cruisers. 

The  exploits  of  the  little  American  navy  are  familiar  to  every  school- 
boy. They  added  imperishable  lustre  to  our  glory  upon  the  ocean,  and 
humbled  the  pride  of  Great  Britian  as  never  before.  The  first  time  that  that 


472  NINETY   MEN   AGAINST  TWO  THOUSAND. 

power  ever  surrendered  an  entire  squadron  to  an  enemy  was  on  the  loth  of 
September,  1814,  when  Commodore  Barclay,  with  his  arm  shot  off  having 
lost  the  other  in  a  previous  engagement,  ordered  the  white  flag  run  up  as 
token  of  submission  to  young  Perry,  the  American,  who  had  never  seen  a 
naval  battle  before,  but  who,  at  the  close  of  his  terrific  engagement,  sent  the 
message  to  General  Harrison  : 

"  We  have  met  the  enemy,  and  they  are  ours  ;  two  ships,  two  brigs,  one 
schooner,  and  one  sloop." 

Baltimore  furnished  more  privateers  than  any  other  port,  but  they 
sailed  from  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Boston  and  Salem,  by  the  dozen. 
Some  of  the  most  famous  were  fitted  out  in  Charleston,  Bristol  and  Ply- 
mouth. The  majority  were  schooners,  well  armed,  swift,  and  crowded  with 
men,  so  as  to  furnish  crews  for  the  captured  prizes.  There  were  also  brigs 
and  brigantines,  which  were  often  so  depleted,  for  the  purpose  named,  that 
barely  enough  men  were  left  to  handle  the  original  privateer. 

Captain  Samuel  C.  Reid,  of  Connecticut,  commanded  the  privateer  brig 
"  General  Armstrong,"  whose  armament  consisted  of  nine  long  guns,  the 
largest  being  a  twenty-four-pounder,  the  others  nine-pounders,  or  "  long 
nines,"  as  they  were  called,  while  in  the  usual  position,  on  a  pivot  at  the 
front,  was  the  famous  "  Long  Tom,"  so  useful  when  pursuing  an  enemy. 

*  Good  luck  attended  the  "  General  Armstrong,"  which,  setting  out  with 
several  hundred  men,  captured  prize  after  prize,  and  sent  them  home,  until 
Captain  Reid  was  left  with  a  crew  of  only  ninety.  In  the  month  of  Sep- 
tember, 1814,  he  put  into  the  harbor  of  Fayal,  one  of  the  Azores,  for  the 
purpose  of  laying  in  provisions,  of  which  he  was  running  short. 

While  he  was  leisurely  engaged  at  this  work,  Captain  Reid  was  surprised 
by  the  arrival  of  a  British  squadron  for  the  same  purpose.  It  was  on  its 
way  to  Jamaica  to  join  Admiral  Sir  Thomas  Cochrane's  naval  expedition 
against  New  Orleans.  It  consisted  of  the  flagship  "  Plantagenet,"  of  seventy- 
four  guns,  under  Captain  Robert  Floyd  ;  the  frigate  "  Rota,"  thirty-eight 
guns,  under  Captain  Philip  Somerville,  and  the  brig  "  Carnation,"  eighteen 
guns,  under  Captain  George  Bentham.  The  destination  and  intended  service 
of  the  squadron  make  it  hardly  necessary  to  state  that  the  ships  were  all 
thoroughly  equipped  for  action.  They  were  manned  by  2,000  men. 

The  English  squadron  arrived  at  Fayal  on  the  25th  of  September.  As 
soon  as  Captain  Floyd  recognized  the  terrible  little  Yankee  privateer,  he 
placed  his  ships  so  as  to  shut  off  her  escape.  Inasmuch  as  all  the  vessels 
were  in  the  waters  of  a  neutral  power,  Captain  Reid  doubted  whether  the 
enemy  would  attack  him.  But  he  was  too  wise  to  take  any  chances. 
He  spread  his  nets  and  made  ready  for  action. 


NINETY   MEN   AGAINST  TWO  THOUSAND.  473 

A  sharp  watch  was  maintained  through  the  night,  but  nothing  took 
place.  The  next  day,  however,  several  boats  put  out  from  the  "  Plantage- 
net,"  and  headed  for  the  privateer.  In  his  subsequent  report  of  the  affair, 
Captain  Floyd  stated  that  he  had  no  purpose  of  attacking  the  American,  but 
he  was  engaged  only  on  a  reconnoissance.  Captain  Reid  was  not  to  be 
caught  napping.  The  favorite  method  of  attack  in  those  days  was  by 
boarding,  and  such  he  believed  was  the  intention  of  those  boats.  Accord- 
ingly, he  hailed  them  and  warned  them  to  keep  off. 

They  paid  no  attention,  but  rowed  straight  for  his  ship.  He  repeated 
bis  warning  until  they  were  but  a  few  rods  away,  when  he  let  drive  at  them. 
Several  were  killed  and  wounded,  and  the  astonished  enemy  concluded  to 
terminate  their  reconnoissance  then  and  there,  the  survivors  returning  to 
the  flagship. 

Captain  Reid  knew  that  the  most  serious  business  was  to  come.  So  he 
swung  his  brig  nearer  shore,  with  springs  on  her  cables,  and  held  himself  in 
readiness  for  the  attack  of  his  enemy. 

As  night  was  closing  in,  a  dozen  or  more  boats  were  lowered  from  the 
British  vessels,  all  filled  with  men  and  guns.  Each  boat  carried  a  carronade 
in  her  bows  and  had  a  crew  of  thirty  or  forty  men.  The  expedition  was 
under  the  command  of  Lieutenant  William  Matterface,  of  the  "  Rota." 

Instead  of  making  directly  for  the  privateer,  the  boats  sheltered  them- 
selves for  several  hours  behind  some  rocks  near  her,  while  the  u  Carnation," 
being  light  of  draft,  took  position  within  shot  of  the  privateer,  so  as  to  be 
ready  in  case  she  attempted  to  slip  out  to  sea. 

The  full  moon  was  shining  in  an  unclouded  sky,  so  that  objects  could 

be  seen  for  a  short  distance  with  the  distinctness  of  daylight.     It  was  almost 

midnight  when  the  boats  that  had  been  sheltered  behind 

Moonlit  Waters     t|ie  Tocfcs  s]lot  jnto  sight,  and  the  splash  of  oars  showed 

Splashed  with 

Blood.  that    the  attack    was  to  be    made  within    the    next  few 

minutes. 

While  still  some  way  off,  the  enemy  opened  with  her  carronades,  and 
the  privateer  replied  with  her  long  nines.  Little  if  any  damage,  however, 
was  done  ;  but  the  boats  were  coming  fast,  and  the  fight  grew  hotter  and 
fiercer  every  moment.  The  Americans  fired  with  deadly  accuracy,  sinking 
three  of  the  craft  before  they  reached  the  nets,  and  leaving  the  occupants 
drowning,  swimming  and  struggling  in  the  water.  The  English  made 
determined  and  desperate  attempts  to  board.  They  slashed  and  cut  at  the 
nets,  and  grasping  them,  drew  their  boats  close  against  the  side  of  the 
privateer,  and  strove  to  climb  over  the  gunwales. 


474  NINETY  MEN   AGAINST  TWO  THOUSAND. 

Captain  Reid,  fighting  like  a  tiger,  repelled  the  attack  at  the  starboard 
quarter,  and  then  ran  forward  to  the  help  of  First  Officer  Frederic  A.  Worth, 
at  the  bow.  He  and 'his  men  were  not  a  moment  too  soon,  for  the  boarders 
were  bearing  down  the  defenders,  as  they  clambered  up  the  sides,  shouting, 
"  No  quarter  for  the  Yankees  !" 

"  No  quarter !"  roared  back  the  Americans,  blazing  away  with  their 
pistols  in  the  faces  of  the  enemy,  prodding  them  with  pikes,  meeting  them 
hand  to  hand,  and  flinging  them  sprawling  like  so  many  frogs  into  the 
sea. 

The  fight  was  of  the  fiercest  character.  Repeatedly  the  bqarders  were 
on  the  point  of  success,  and  more  than  once  the  Americans  were  compelled 
to  yield  ground.  But  it  was  only  for  a  moment.  Nothing  is  calculated  to 
make  a  man  fight  harder  than  the  certainty  that  it  is  his  only  chance  for  life, 
since  surrender  is  out  of  the  question.  Under  the  inspira- 
tion of  the  cap' tain  and  officers,  who  were  everywhere, 

*  Crew  of  Tigers. 

shooting,  prodding,  striking,  wrestling  with  grim,  fearless 

energy  that  seemed  to  know  no  fatigue,  fear  or  abatement,  the  sailors 
proved  themselves  every  one  a  hero. 

There  could  be  but  one  ending  to  such  heroism  as  this.  Several  boats 
filled  and  went  to  the  bottom  ;  a  half  dozen,  crowded  with  dead  and  dying, 
drifted  ashore  ;  only  two  returned  to  the  ships. 

The  Americans  had  two  killed  and  seven  wounded.  Captain  Floyd 
admitted  a  loss  of  thirty-four  killed  and  eighty-six  wounded.  It  was  double 
that.  Lieutenant  Matterface,  the  leader  of  the  expedition,  was  among  the 
killed. 

Naturally,  Captain  Floyd  and  his  men  were  infuriated  by  the  frightful 
repulse  they  had  received  at  the  hands  of  the  Yankee  privateer.  He  had 
already  violated  the  law  of  nations  in  making  his  attack  in  neutral  waters, 
and  when  the  Fayal  authorities  sent  him  a  request  to  stop  fighting  in  their 
harbor,  he  angrily  replied  that  he  meant  to  have  that  privateer  if  he  had  to 
knock  down  the  whole  city,  and  that  if  the  authorities  allowed  the  Americans 
to  destroy  or  harm  the  brig,  he  would  treat  Fayal  as  a  hostile  seaport. 

Captain  Reid  learned  of  this  threat,  and  could  not  mistake  its  meaning. 
He  sent  his  dead  and  wounded  ashore,  and  told  his  men  to  leave  their  most 
valuable  effects  in  the  town,  where,  if  they  survived,  they  could  recover 
them.  That  done,  it  may  be  said  the  "  General  Armstrong  "  was  stripped 
for  the  fight. 

The  brig  "  Carnation  "  opened  the  attack  by  approaching  quite  near, 
and  pouring  repeated  broadsides  into  the  privateer,  whose  replies,  owing  to 
her  fewer  and  smaller  guns,  were  so  ineffective  that  the  "  lyong  Tom  "  was 


NINETY   MEN  AGAINST  TWO  THOUSAND.  475 

appealed  to  again.  Bang !  went  one  of  the  monstrous  balls  between  wind 
and  water ;  another  bit  in  two  the  foremast ;  others  crashed  and  splintered 
the  rigging,  until  the  wounded  assailant  was  glad  to  limp  off  for  repairs. 

But  the  privateer  was  doomed.  She  had  made  one  of  the  bravest  fights 
in  all  history,  yet  there  is  a  limit  to  the  possibilities  of  bravery.  When 
Captain  Reid  saw  the  other  two  vessels  approaching,  he  knew  that  a  general 
attack  would  be  made  in  the  course  of  a  few  minutes.  It  was  2,000  men 
against  ninety  ;  130  guns  against  nine  smaller ;  three  vessels  against  one  not 
so  large  as  the  least.  Fight  in  the  face  of  such  odds  was  without  hope  or 
excuse. 

Captain  Reid  determined  the  enemy  should  not  capture  his  vessel,  so  he 
lowered  his  boats,  scuttled  the  privateer,  and  then  rowed  for  shore.  The 
enraged  English  threatened  to  pursue  him  and  his  men,  but  the  Americans 
hurried  into  a  strong  fortress,  and  Captain  Reid  challenged  the  British  to 
attack  him.  They  did  not  accept  the  challenge. 

The  effect  of  this  splendid  exploit  was  more  far  reaching  than  would 
be  supposed.  The  English  squadron  was  so  crippled  by  its  rough  usage, 
that  it  returned  to  England  to  refit.  This  so  delayed  the  arrival  of  Sir 
Thomas  Cochrane's  expedition  at  New  Orleans,  that  he  found  on  his  arrival 
General  Jackson  was  several  days  ahead  of  him. 

Captain  Reid  and  his  men  received  a  characteristic  reception  when  they 

returned  to  this  country.    From  Savannah,  where  they  first  set  foot  on  shore, 

it  was  one  ovation  all  the  way  to  New  York.     The  Legis- 

An  Ovation  to  the    lature  of  fl^  state  presented  Captain  Reid  with  a  sword, 
Gallant  Reid.  r 

and  he  was  made  a  sailing-master  in  the  navy. 

Captain  Samuel  C.  Reid  was  not  only  a  consummate  seaman  and 
daring  fighter,  but  possessed  of  superior  mental  accomplishments.  He 
invented  the  signal  telegraph,  which  was  put  up  at  the  Battery  and  Narrows, 
established  the  lightship  off  Sandy  Hook,  and  numbered  and  regulated  the 
pilot  boats.  He  was  the  designer,  also,  of  the  present  form  of  our  flag, 
which  retains  the  thirteen  stripes,  and  adds  a  star  for  each  new  State. 

England  was  afterward  compelled  to  apologize  to  Portugal  for  the  act 
of  Captain  Floyd  in  attacking  an  American  vessel  in  a  neutral  port  belong- 
ing to  Portugal.  We  were  awarded  an  indemnity,  but  Louis  Napoleon,  to 
whose  arbitration  the  matter  was  referred,  reversed  the  award. 

The  "  Long  Tom,"  which  played  such  a  prominent  part  in  this  fight, 
was  recovered  by  the  Portuguese,  and  mounted  in  the  castle  of  San  Juan, 
in  Fayal.  Some  months  ago,  the  king  offered  to  return  the  gun  to  us. 
When  received,  it  will  be  set  up  in  Lafayette  Square,  Washington,  opposite 
the  White  House 


476  DEATH  OF  GENERAL  WARREN. 

The  song-writers  of  those  days  could  not  overlook  such  a  thrilling 
theme  as  the  fight  of  the  "  General  Armstrong  "  with  the  British  squadron. 
Here  is  the  first  verse  of  the  poem  by  James  Jeffrey  Roche  : 

' '  Tell  the  story  to  your  sons, 

Of  the  gallant  days  of  yore, 
When  the  brig  of  seven  guns 

Fought  the  fleet  of  seven  score, 

From  the  set  of  sun  till  morn,  through  the  long  September  night — 
Ninety  guns  against  two  thousand,  and  the  ninety  won  the  fight, 
In  the  harbor  of  Fayal,  the  Azore." 


DEATH  OF  GENERAL  WARREN. 

BY  EPES  SARGENT. 

ON  THE  day  of  that  memorable  engagement  on  Bunker  Hill,  General 
Joseph  Warren,  then  in  the  prime  of  life,  joined   the   American 
ranks  as  a  volunteer.     "  Tell  me  where  I  can  be  the  most  useful," 
said  he,  addressing  General  Putnam.     "  Go  to  the  redoubt,"  was 
the  reply ;    "  you  will   there   be  covered."     "  I   came  not  to   be  covered," 
returned  Warren  ;  "  tell  me  where  I  will  be  in  the  most  danger — tell  me 
where  the  action  will  be  the  hottest."     At  the  meeting  of  the  Committee  of 
Safety,  previous  to  the  battle,  his  friends  earnestly  strove  to  dissuade  him 
from  exposing  his  person.     "  I  know  there   is  danger,"  said   Warren,  "  but 
who  does  not  think  it  is  sweet  to  die  for  his  country?"     When  Colonel 
Prescott  gave  the  order  to  retreat,  Warren's  desperate  courage  forbade   him 
to  obey.     He  lingered  the  last  at  the  redoubt,  and  was   slowly  and  'reluc- 
tantly retreating,  when    a  British    officer  called  out  to  him  to  surrender. 
Warren  proudly  turned  his  face  upon  the  foe,  received  a  fatal  shot  in  the 
forehead,  and  fell  dead  in  the  trenches. 

When  the  war-cry  of  liberty  rang  through  the  land, 
To  arms  sprang  our  fathers,  the  foe  to  withstand. 
On  old  Bunker  Hill  their  intrenchments  they  rear, 
When  the  army  is  joined  by  a  young  volunteer. 

"  Tempt  not  death !  "  cried  h|s  friends ;  but  he  bade  them  good-bye, 
Saying,  "  Oh,  it  is  sweet  for  our  country  to  die ! " 
The  tempest  of  battle  now  rages  and  swells, 
'Mid  the  thunder  of  cannon,  the  pemling  of  bells; 


PATRIOTIC   DEEDS   OF   AMERICAN   WOMEN.  477 

And  a  light,  not  of  battle,  illumes  yonder  spire — 
Scene  of  woe  and  destruction  ;  'tis  Charlestown  on  fire  ! 
The  young  volunteer  heedeth  not  that  sad  cry, 
But  murmurs,  "  'Tis  sweet  for  our  country  to  die  !  " 
With  trumpets  and  banners  the  foe  draweth  near ; 
A  volley  of  musketry  checks  their  career. 
With  the  dead  and  the  dying  the  hillside  is  strewn, 
And  the  shout  thro'  our  line  is  :  "The  day  is  our  own  !  " 

"  Not  yet,"  cries  the  young  volunteer,  "  do  they  fly; 

Stand  firm  ;  it  is  sweet  for  our  country  to  die !  "  <• 

Now  our  powder  is  spent,  and  they  rally  again. 

"  Retreat,"  says  our  chief,  "  since  unarmed  we  remain  !  " 

But  the  young  volunteer  lingers  yet  on  the  field, 

Reluctant  to  fly  and  disdaining'to  yield. 

A  shot — ah,  he  falls  !  but  his  life's  latest  sigh 

Is,  "  'Tis  sweet,  oh,  'tis  sweet  for  our  country  to  die  !  " 

And  thus  Warren  fell.     Happy  death,  noble  fall, 

To  perish  for  country  at  Liberty's  call. 

Should  the  flag  of  invasion  profane  evermore 

The  blue  of  our  seas  or  the  green  of  our  shores, 

May  the  hearts  of  our  people  re-echo  that  cry, 

"  'Tis  sweet,  oh,  'tis  sweet  for  our  country  to  die  !  " 


PATRIOTIC  DEEDS  OF  AMERICAN  WOMEN. 

>>Y  J.   W.    BUEL. 

WE  are  accustomed  to  speak,  wyite  and  to  read  of  the  valorous  exploits 
of  our  soldiers  and  sailors,  the  sons  of  liberty  and  fathers  of  our 
independence,  often  mindless  of  the  heroism  and  sacrifices  of  the 
no  less  noble  and  patriotic  women  of -America,  to  whom,  in  a 
sense,  our  obligations  are  equally  great.     Not  only  have  they  endured  the 
privations  incident  to  a  settlement  of  our  country,  and  performed  their  part 
with  marked  fidelity,  but  instances  are  not  few  where  they  have  exhibited  a 
valor  as  conspicuous  and  effective  as  that  with  which  our  bravest  defenders 
are  credited,  and  performed  deeds  deserving  of  an  imperishable  fame,  which 
to  our  shame,  however,  are  not  generally  remembered. 


H?8  PATRIOTIC   DEEDS   OF   AMERICAN    WOMEN. 

Examples  of  female  gallantry  in  the  hour  of  National  trial  are  many, 
but  two  that  are  specially  great  must  suffice  here  for  illustration  of  woman's 
strength  of  character,  physical   courage  and  devotion  to 
country.     The  darkest  period  to  American  hopes  during  Women 

Who  Deserve 

the  war  of  the  Revolution  was  in  the  year  1778,  when    |mmorta|  Fame. 
Washington  was  sorely  beset  by  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  with 
an  army  of  60,000  of  the  best  equipped  and  most  thoroughly  drilled  soldiers 
in   the  world  at  the  time.     Our  entire  army  did  not  number  more  than 
30,000,   though   Congress   had  ordered   its  increase  to  40,000  men  ;    such 
soldiers  as  Washington  had,  too,  were  poorly  clad,  badly  fed,  indifferently 
armed,  almost  without  knowledge  of  military  movements,  and  the  country 
was  in  the  most  direful  financial  straits.     A  less  resolute  leader  would  have 
despaired  under  such  ill  conditions,  but  difficulties  seemed  rather  to  infuse 
Washington  with  a  more  dogged  determination. 

It  happened,  through  our  good  fortune,  that  in  June  an,  order  was  given 
to  General  Clinton  by  the  British  Government  to  transfer  his  troops,  of  some 
30,000,  from  Philadelphia  to  New  York,  but  for  want  of  a 
sufficient  number  of  transports  to  carry  this  large  force,       Washington 

in  Pursuit 

Clinton  sent  about  20,000  by  water  and  then  set  out  over-  of  Ciinton. 
land,  through  New  Jersey,  with  the  remainder.  Washing- 
ton, a  remarkable  tactician  as  well  as  strategist,  foresaw  this  action  of  the 
enemy  and  acted  so  promptly  that  scarcely  had  the  main  army  of  the 
British  left  Philadelphia  when  he,  with  his  full  force,  crossed  the  Dela- 
ware, June  21,  fifteen  miles  above  Trenton,  and  began  a  vigorous  pursuit  of 
the  British  contingent.  Washington  was  ably  assisted  by  General  Lafayette, 
who  found  the  enemy  encamped  at  Monmouth  Court  House,  New  Jersey, 
on  the  twenty-eighth.  It  was  in  the  engagement  that  followed  that  Gene- 
ral Charles  Lee,  by  a  perfidious,  if  not  treasonable  act,  came  near  betraying 
and  causing  the  defeat  and  probably  the  destruction  of  the  American 
Army. 

It  was  during  the  bloody  engagement  at  Monmouth  Court  House,  which 
resulted  in  a  defeat  of  the  British,  that  Moll  Pitcher  so  distinguished  herself 
as  to  gain  immortal  fame.  There  is  some  dispute  as  to  her  name,  but  the 
records  seern  to  show  that  she  was  married  to  an  artilleryman  named 
McCauley,  though  history  will  hardly  fail  to  preserve  that  of  Moll  Pitcher, 
which  may  have  been  her  maiden  patronymic.  She  appears  to  have  been  a 
sturdy  camp-follower,  twenty-two  years  of  age,  who  had  already  won  distinc- 
tion at  Fort  Clinton,  where  she  is  credited  with  having  fired  the  last  shot. 

The  day  the  battle  of  Monmouth  was  fought  was  one  of  almost  insuf- 
ferable heat,  and  Molly  Pitcher  made  herself  useful  carrying  water  from  a 


PATRIOTIC   DEEDS   OF   AMERICAN  WOMEN. 

spring  to  her  husband  and  the  others  serving  the  fieldpieces.  This  ser- 
vice she  performed,  regardless  of  all  danger,  until  her  husband  was  killed, 
when,  there  being  no  one  to  take  his  place,  the  gun  was 
ordered  Amoved.  At  this  supreme  juncture,  when  the 
very  fate  of  Washington's  army  seemed  to  hang  in  the 
balance,  brave  Moll  Pitcher  dropped  her  bucket  and  begged  permission  to 
take  the  place  of  her  fallen  husband.  The  need  of  using  every  gun  was  so 
great  that  her  request  was  granted,  and,  with  astonishing  courage  and  indus- 
try, she  acted  as  a  gunner  during  the  remainder  of  the  fight.  On  the  fol- 
lowing day,  after  Clinton's  retreat,  Moll  Pitcher  was  presented  to  Washington, 
with  report  of  her  exploit,  and  as  a  mark  of  recognition  of  the  value  of  her 
services  she  was  made  a  lieutenant  of  artillery,  and  Congress  voted  her  half- 
pay  during  life. 

In  appearance  Moll  Pitcher  is  described  as  having  been  a  stout,  red- 
haired  Irish  woman,  with  freckled  face  and  dark,  piercing  eyes.  She  lived 
in  Carlisle,  Pa.  ,  after  the  close  of  the  war,  and  over  her  grave  in  the  cemetery 
of  that  town  is  a  plain  stone  monument  which  bears  the  following 
inscription  : 

MOI,I,IB 


Renowned  in  History  as  Molly  Pitcher, 

Sacred  to  the  The  Heroine  of  Monmouth. 

Memory  of 
a  Heroine.  Died  January>  l833,  aged  79  years. 

Erected  by  the  Citizens  of  Cumberland  County, 
July  4,  1876. 

Another  display  of  patriotic  daring,  scarcely  less  remarkable  than  that 
which  made  Moll  Pitcher  famous,  was  performed  by  Mary  Doyle,  wife  of  a 
private  in  the  American  artillery,  at  the  bombardment  of  Fort  Niagara  by 
the  British,  November  21,  1812.  There  is  a  singular  coincidence  in  the 
name  and  situation  of  the  two  heroines,  each  being  wife  of  an  American 
artilleryman  and  each  taking  a  husband's  place,  but  in  the  case  of  Mary 
Doyle  she  acted  from  a  slightly  different  impulse,  her  husband  having  been 
made  a  prisoner  by  the  British  at  Queenstown,  and  she  practically  joined  the 
army,  or  acted  in  his  stead,  with  the  hope  that  thereby  she  might  become  an 
instrument  to  secure  his  liberation. 

The  British,  under  General  Dearborn,  erected  strong  earthworks  at  Fort 
George,  and  when  in  readiness  began  a  fierce  bombardment  of  the  American 
fort,  Niagara,  across  the  river.  From  morning  till  night  they  maintained 
a  terrible  f^e  of  shells  and  red-hot  balls,  throwing  180  of  the  former  ana. 


48o  THE   FIRST  AMERICAN   REVOLUTION. 

2,000  of  the  latter  during  the  day.     The  Americans  were  fewer  in  number 
and  had  not  more  than  half  the  number  of  guns  used  by  their  assailants,  but 
they  fought  with  amazing  firmness  until  their  extremity 
became  so  great  as  to  discourage  further  defence.     When        Mary  D°y|e» 

the  Heroine  of 

the  Americans  were  upon  the  point  of  yielding  hope,  when          Niagara, 
red-hot  balls  were  setting  fire  to  the  barracks  and  causing 
the  most  fearful  destruction,  Mary  Doyle  came  upon  the  scene,  a  very  imper- 
sonation of  the  fierce  spirit  of  war  and  valor.     With  eyes  blazing  and  hair 
streaming  she  took  her  position  beside  an  abandoned  six-pounder,  and  with 
amazing  endurance,  loaded  and  fired  it  herself  many  times  and  then  turned 
to  serving  red-hot  balls,  which  she  continued  with  such  resolution  that  every 
fainting  soldier  was  animated  by  her  conduct  and  gained  fresh  spirit  that 
enabled  them  finally  to  beat  off  the  enemy. 


THE  FIRST  AMERICAN  REVOLUTION. 

BY  MRS.  N.  S.  STOWELI,. 

HOW  many  people  are  there  who  know  that  in  Louisiana,  as  far  back 
as  1768,  there  was  an  attempt  made  to  establish  a  republic  upon 
the  soil  of  North  America,  and  that  five  citizens  of  New  Orleans 
paid  for  the  attempt  with  their  lives  ?     Yet  such  is  the  fact,  and 
the  dusty  records  in  the  official  archives  at  Madrid  and  Paris  bear  testimony 
to  their  gallant,  but  fruitless,  endeavor. 

It  occurred  shortly  after  France  had  ceded  Louisiana  to  Spain.  The 
helpless  inhabitants  disliked  the  transfer,  but  they  were  powerless  to  help 
themselves.  Although  the  Spaniards  formally  accepted  the  gift  in  1762,  the 
Spanish  Governor,  Ulloa,  did  not  arrive  in  Louisiana  until  four  years  after- 
ward. The  colonists  had  made  up  their  minds  to  dislike  him,  and  they  did 
so.  He  seems  to  have  been  a  gay,  good-humored,  not  very  dishonest,  ruler, 
who  tried  to  suit  his  unruly  subjects,  and  found  that  he  had  set  himself  an 
impossible  task.  They  were  scandalized  because  he  married  without  the 
consent  of  "  Father  Dagobert,"  and  hurt  because  he  sent  to  Havana  for  a 
nurse  for  his  child.  Was  not  Louisiana  able  to  furnish  a  good  enough 
nurse  ?  The  colonists  complained  of  his  presence  at  New  Orleans,  but 
declared  that  he  had  insulted  them  when  he  stayed  at  Balize  for  eight 
months.  They  shut  him  and  his  wife  out  of  society,  and  then  accused  them 
of  haughty  exclusiveness.  A  severe  charge  against  him  was  that  he  made 


THE  FIRST  AMERICAN  REVOLUTION.  481 

the  inhabitants  of  New  Orleans  go  six  miles  out  of  town  in  order  to  whip 
their  slaves,  because  Madame  Ulloa's  nerves  were  disturbed  by  the  shrieks 
of  the  victims  of  the  lash. 

When  he  saw  that  the  colonists  had  agreed  to  disagree  with  him  in 
everything  he  gave  up  trying  to  please  them,  secluded  himself  and  studied 
science,  of  which  he  was  a  devotee.  Meanwhile  the  popular  discontent  grew 
apace.  Several  prominent  citizens  formed  a  plot  to  overthrow  the  Spanish 
authority  and  establish  a  republic  under  the  protection  of  a  British  officer 
then  commanding  at  Pensacola. 

On  October  25,  1768,  the  crisis  came.  Armed  bands  occupied  the  streets 
of  New  Orleans.  Ulloa  fled  to  a  frigate  which  lay  off  the  city.  The 
superior  council  met,  expelled,  in  the  style  of  more  recent  days,  all  the 
adherents  of  the  other  side,  and  adopted  an  address  declaring  that  the  colo- 
nists' allegiance  was  due  to  France,  not  to  Spain.  This  was  a  blind,  the  real 
intent,  as  the  archives  of  Paris  show,  was  to  establish  a  republic  modeled 
after  the  Swiss  government.  Ulloa  reported  to  Madrid  :  "  One  plan  was  to 
transform  the  colony  into  a  republic  under  the  protection  of  England,  but, 
seeing  that  they  could  not  obtain  from  her  the  assistance  they  wished  for, 
they  came  to  the  determination  to  rise  without  it,  and  to  trample  under  foot 
the  orders  of  their  sovereign." 

For  several  months  the  colonists  were  left  to  govern  themselves.  Then 
the  future  grew  dark.  France  and  England  both  refused  their  aid.  Spain 
sent  General  O'Reilly,  with  twenty-four  ships  and  over  three  thousand  troops, 
to  seize  the  rebellious  colony.  When  the  fleet  came  in  sight,  advancing  up 

the  Mississippi,  one  of  the  conspirators,  Marquis  ,  proclaimed  the 

republic,  but  less  than  a  hundred  men  responded  to  his  call  for  troops. 
O'Reilly  landed,  undisturbed.  Four  days  afterward  the  principal  leaders 
were  arrested.  A  month  of  torture  and  trial  ended  in  the  sentence  of  one 
of  them  to  death.  One  had  already  been  killed  while  trying  to  speak  to  his 
wife.  The  lack  of  a  hangman  saved  the  rest  from  the  scaffold.  They  were 
shot  on  the  morning  of  October  26,  1769 — the  first  martyrs  to  independence 
in  America. 


THE  STORY   OF  ANDREW  JACKSON. 


THE  STORY  OF  ANDREW  JACKSON. 


One  of  the  Most  Heroic  Characters  of  American  History,  and  How 
He  Won  the  Battle  of  New  Orleans. 

BY  JOHN  JACOB  CUSHMAN. 

A'TDREW  JACKSON,  seventh  President  of  the  United  States,  was 
born  in  a  log  cabin  in  Union  County,  South  Carolina,  March  15, 
1767.  His  first  graduation  was  from  the  "old  field  school,"  his 
second  from  the  Revolutionary  War,  where  he  developed  the  hatred 
which  found  its  vent  in  the  battle  of  New  Orleans,  in  1815. 

He  was  an  apprentice,  a  lawyer,  an  attorney  for  the  State  of  North 
Carolina,  served  in  Congress  for  that  State,  went  to  Tennessee  and  helped 
build  up  the  region ;  served  as  Senator  when  Jefferson  was  president  of  the 
Senate  ;  fought  Indians  and  debtors  alike  ;  was  appointed  judge  in  Tennes- 
see ;  fought  in  the  Creek  war,  the  second  war  with  Great  Britain  ;  carried 
the  punishment  of  Arbuthnot  and  the  Florida  Indians  into  Florida,  and 
waged  a  little  war  of  his  own  on  Spanish  territory  ;  returned,  was  honored  ; 
was  elected  to  the  Presidency  of  the  United  States ;  served  two  terms ; 
returned  to  a  quiet  life  at  the  Hermitage,  near  Nashville,  and  died  in  1845. 
Such,  in  brief,  was  the  career  of  perhaps  the  most  typical  of  Americans. 

"Old  Hickory,"  as  he  was  known  affectionately,  was  a  gay,  careless, 
rollicking  youth,  penniless  most  of  the  time,  fond  of  horses,  racing,  cock- 
fighting  and  mischief.  The  mischief,  as  well  as  the  fondness  for  gaming, 
stayed  with  him  to  the  end,  but,  like  many  other  great  men,  he  seemed  to 
possess  a  dual  nature,  which  one  moment  led  him  to  froth  at  the  mouth 
with  anger,  the  next  to  consider  tenderly  the  rights  and  woes  of  others. 
And  it  is  this  dual  nature  which  makes  the  life  of  this  pugnacious  old 
warrior  replete  with  choice  gems  of  wit,  humor,  tenderness,  wrath,  justice. 

He  came  from  a  Scotch-Irish  family.  Parton,  speaking  of  the  charac- 
teristics of  this  combination,  says :  "  They  were  a  tenacious,  pugnacious 
race ;  honest,  yet  capable  of  dissimulation  ;  often  angry,  but  most  prudent 
when  most  furious ;  endowed  by  nature  with  the  gifts  of  extracting  from 
every  affair  and  every  relation  all  the  strife  it  can  be  made  to  yield  ;  at  home 
and  among  dependents  all  tenderness  and  generosity;  to  opponents  violent, 


THE  STORY   OF  ANDREW  JACKSON.  4»3 

ungenerous,  prone  to  believe  the  worst  of  them."  This  excellent  description 
of  the  race  describes  Andrew  Jackson  as  if  it  were  a  personal  character 
delineation. 

In  physique  Jackson  was  about  six  feet  tall,  rather  spare  and  delicate. 
He  stooped  slightly,  and  his  face  was  seared  with  pain  from  his  ill  health  ; 
scarred  with  the  marks  of  innumerable  battles,  great  rage 

an^  *Ion  w^'  H*s  c^n  was  s^11^6)  l°ng  an<*  tapering ; 
his  nose  enormous ;  his  ears  were  large  and  his  shaggy, 
sandy  hair  stood  up  from  a  massive  forehead.  He  looked  in  this  respect 
like  a  German  musician.  His  head  was  extremely  large.  He  wore  a  7^  hat. 
His  blue  eyes  were  deep  and  brilliant. 

The  trouble  with  Jackson  seems  to  have  been  his  lungs  and  his  back. 
Several  times  it  was  thought  he  would  die  of  pneumonia.  Once  his  doctor 
returned  from  a  short  walk  and  found  him  up  and  ready  to  go  out  when  he 
had  left  him  but  a  few  minutes  before,  as  he  thought,  as  good  as  dead. 
"  You  took  too  much  stimulant,"  said  the  doctor,  remonstrating.  "  Haven't 
touched  your  stimulant !  "  he  replied,  disdainfully.  "Read  that!"  handing 
the  doctor  a  letter  from  Clay  denouncing  Jackson  for  his  action  in  the  Ar- 
buthnot  case.  That  was  all  the  stimulant  the  general  needed. 

In  the  fall  of  1803,  Jackson — then  a  judge — was  on  his  way  from  Nash- 
ville to  Jonesboro,  where  he  was  about  to  hold  court.  A  friend  met  him  on 
the  road  and  told  him  that  a  combination  against  him  had 
His  Lack  df  Fear,  been  formed,  and  he  might  expect  to  be  mobbed  when  he 
arrived.  Jackson  was  then  sick  with  intermittent  fever, 
which  had  so  weakened  him  that  he  was  scarcely  able  to  sit  on  his  horse. 
He  spurred  forward,  however,  and  reached  the  town,  but  so  exhausted  that 
he  could  not  dismount  without  help.  Burning  with  fever  he  retired  to  his 
room  in  the  tavern  and  lay  down  on  a  bed.  A  friend  soon  came  in  and 
said  :  "Judge,  Colonel  Harrison  and  a  regiment  of  men  are  in  front  of  the 
hotel  to  tar  and  feather  you.  Lock  the  door  quickly."  Instead  of  doing 
so  Jackson  threw  the  door  wide  opened  and  exclaimed  : 

"  Give  my  compliments  to  Colonel  Harrison,  and  tell  him  my  door  is 
open  to  receive  him  and  his  regiment  whenever  they  choose  to  wait  upon 
me,  and  I  hope  the  colonel's  chivalry  will  induce  him  to  lead  his  men,  not 
follow  them." 

Nothing  more  was  heard  of  the  colonel  or  his  men.  Judge  Jackson  got 
up  from  the  fever  and  held  his  court  as  usual  and  without  molestation. 

A  distinguishing  mark  was  a  deep  scar  on  his  forehead.  It  was  inflicted 
by  a  British  officer  in  South  Carolina  when  Jackson  was  a  boy  of  thirteen. 
A  squad  of  British  took  his  family  prisoners,  and  one  of  the  officers  asked 


484  THE  STORY   OF   ANDREW  JACKSON. 

"  Andy  "  to  polish  his  shoes.  He  refused  and  was  given  the  scar — but  he 
didn't  black  the  shoes,  and  he  made  it  lively  for  that  officer  despite  the 
difference  in  their  ages. 

Jackson's  enemies  in  his  later  career  got  Dickinson,  a  young  lawyer  in 
Nashville,  who  had  the  reputation  of  being  the  "best  pistol  shot  in  the 
world,"  to  speak  slightingly  of  Mrs.  Jackson.  This  news  was  told  to  the 
general.  Jackson  for  thirty-seven  years  had  kept  a  pair  of  pistols  in  readi- 
ness for  use  on  any  one  who  ever  spoke  disrespectfully  of  his  wife.  He  oiled 
the  pistols  and  then  demanded  an  explanation  from  Dickinson,  who  claimed 
that  if  he  said  anything  disrespectful  he  must  have  been  drunk,  as  he  had 
no  recollection  of  any  such  remarks.  But  the  enemies  fanned  the  flame  and 
the  remarks  were  repeated,  resulting  this  time  in  the  duel,  which  ended  in  'a 
slightly  different  way  from  that  originally  intended  by  Dickinson,  who  was 
killed  in  the  affair,  though  Jackson  himself  received  a  wound  from  which  he 
suffered  until  his  death. 

Jackson  boarded  when  he  first  went   to  Tennessee  with  the   Widow 
Donelson.    Here  he  met  the  widow's  daughter,  Mrs.  Rachel 
Robards.  Mrs.  Robards  was  taken  with  Jackson's  gallantry.         Marriage 
Mr.  Robards  became  jealous  and  applied  for  a  divorce. 
Jackson  married  Mrs.  Robards  at  Natchez  in  1791,  although  the  divorce  was 
not  granted  until  1793.     Jackson  was  at  fault  in  not  taking  more  care  to 
ascertain  the  non-existence  of    a   divorce,  but  by  forty  years  of  honorable 
and  devoted  love  he  recompensed  the  blame  which  he  had  caused  to  be 
attached  to  her,  and,  from  the  day  of  her  death  in  1831  until  his  own  spent 
some  time  each  day  in  silent  mourning  and  loyal  reverence.     They  had  no 
children. 

The  War  of  1812  found  Jackson  at  the  Hermitage.  Since  1801  he  had 
been  commander-in-chief  of  the  Tennessee  militia,  but  there  had  been  no 
previous  occasion  for  him  to  take  the  field.  L,ate  in  1812,  after  the  disasters 
in  the  Northwest,  it  was  feared  the  English  might  make  an  attempt  on 
New  Orleans.  Jackson  was  ordered  to  Natchez  at  the  head  of  2,000  men. 

Armstrong,  the  new  Secretary  of  War,  stupidly  instructed  Jackson  to 
disband  his  troops  when  it  became  evident  that  the  British  were  not  planning 
an  expedition  southward.  Jackson  got  mad,  marched  his  troops  back  en 
masse  to  Nashville,  became  an  idol  and  won  in  this  campaign  the  name 
"  Old  Hickory." 

The  Creek  war  then  followed,  in-  which  he  showed  such  wonderful 
military  capacity  that  he  was  made  major-general  in  the  regular  army  and 
was  appointed  to  command  the  Department  of  the  South.  When  at  last  the 
British  did  head  toward  the  south  Jackson  started  for  the  front. 


THE  STORY  OF   ANDREW  JACKSON.  485 

On  November  22,  1814,  General  Jackson  left  Mobile  for  New  Orleans, 
where  he  arrived  on  December  i.     It  was  known  that  a  large  British  force 
was    on    its   way  to    that   city,    and   the   importance    of 

defendin&  h  could  not  be  overrated.  The  troops 
that  were  to  invade  it  were  flushed  with  the  victories  of 
Bladensburg  and  Washington.  Citizens  who  should  have  defended  the  city 
were  strongly  suspected  of  disaffection.  While  a  hostile  army  of  tried  veterans, 
strong  in  numbers,  exact  in  discipline,  confident  of  success,  were  advancing 
in  front,  the  ill-regulated  levies  of  militia  who  were  to  oppose  them  were 
surrounded  by  the  timid,  the  doubtful  and  the  treacherous.  When  Jackson 
reached  New  Orleans  few  thought  it  capable  of  defence ;  in  two  days  after, 
none  thought  it  susceptible  of  being  taken.  But  it  was  obvious  to  General 
Jackson  .that  success  depended  on  a  prompt  offensive  movement,  and  an 
attack  must  be  made  on  the  invading  army  the  moment  they  landed. 

"  I  am  resolved,"  he  wrote  in  answer  to  General  Carroll,  whose  division 
had  been  delayed  on  its  way  to  New  Orleans,  "  feeble  as  my  force  is,  to 
assail  the  enemy  on  his  first  landing  and  perish  sooner  than  he  shall  reach 
the  city." 

The  execution  of  that  determination  is  history.  The  British  landed  on 
the  twenty-third,  fifteen  miles  below  New  Orleans.  The  news  reached  Jack- 
son at  i  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  The  same  evening  he  hurled  .his  whole 
available  force  at  them,  lost  seven  wounded  during  the  twenty-five  minutes 
of  the  subsequent  engagement,  while  of  the  enemy  700  were  killed,  1,400 
were  wounded  and  500  made  prisoners. 

The  final  and  overwhelming  defeat  of  the  British  took   place  in  the 

battle  of  January  8,  1815.     Jackson's  men  fought  behind  a  breastwork  of 

cotton  bales.     The  British    lost    in   twenty-five   minutes 

1°w  th®  Britlsh      3,600  killed  and    wounded.     Pakenham  was  among  the 
Were  Beaten. 

slain.       Jackson's   _loss    was     eight   killed    and    thirteen 

wounded.  Peace  had  already  been  signed  at  Ghent,  but  the  news,  of  course, 
had  not  yet  arrived. 

A  fact  showing  the  confidence  of  the  British  is  that  when  they  invaded 
Mississippi  they  brought  with  them  territorial  and  civil  authorities  prepared 
to  take  charge  of  the  government. 

Once  an  old  aristocrat  called  upon  Jackson  to  exempt  him  from  military 
service.  "  I  am  lame,"  he  said  in  explanation.  "Can't  you  run?"  asked 
the  General.  "  No  ;  I  can  hardly  walk,"  was  the  reply. 

"  Well,  I  wish  to  God  all  my  men  were  in  the  same  fix,"  the  General 
quickly  replied,  and,  turning  to  the  quartermaster,  said  :  "  Give  him  a  gun." 


486  THE  STORY   OF  ANDREW  JACKSON. 

An  assassin  confronted  him  in  the  Capitol  with  a  double-barrelled  pistol 
as  he  was  making  his  way  out  of  a  funeral  gathering.  After  one  barrel 
had  been  snapped  within  ten  feet  of  his  face  and  the  other  was  pointed  at 
him,  Jackson  advanced  upon  the  madman  with  uplifted  cane,  and  would 
have  struck  him  but  for  the  interference  of  friends.  He  was  never  taken 
by  suprise  ;  he  never  counted  odds. 

"  I  doubt,"  says  an  old  friend  of  his,  "  if  ever  a  man  lived  of  such 
immovable  nerve,  who  was  so  unconscious  of  personal  danger,  so  wholly 
forgetful  of  himself  and  his  perils."  An  incident  illustrative  of  this  hap- 
pened one  afternoon  during  his  presidency.  An  exasperated  mob  sur- 
rounded the  President's  house  and  threatened  his  life.  The  marshal 
offered  him  a  score  of  constables ;  the  military  and  naval  officers 
volunteered  to  guard  him  ;  the  members  of  his  Cabinet  and  other  friends 
desired  to  watch  with  him  in  his  house.  He  declined  all  these  offers.  Toward 
evening  he  collected  two  or  three  guns,  and  with  only  his  nephew  and  a 
servant  in  the  house  went  to  sleep  "as  quietly,"  says  one  who  witnessed  the 
affair,  "  as  an  infant  in  his  cradle." 

Louis  Phillippe,  during  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  contracted  a  debt 
with  the  United  States.  This  obligation  he  had  refused  to  meet  and  it  was 
still  uncanceled  when  Jackson  entered  the  Presidential  office.  He  sent  over 
a  Minister  and  got  a  note  for  the  amount.  When  the  note  came  due  Louis 
allowed  it  to  go  to  protest.  Jackson  got  mad. 

The  French  Minister  to  Washington  at  that  time  was  a  little  chap,  who 
had  married   the  daughter  of  Colonel  William  B.  Lewis,  a  warm  friend  of 
Jackson.     He  went  over  to  the  President's  house  the  day 
the  note  was  protested  and  found  him  raging  like  one  mad.  pecimen  o 

"  I  will  get  one  of  the  biggest  ships  we've  got,"  Jack- 
son said,  "  and  go  and  see  Louis  Phillippe.  He  owes  the  United  States 
money  and  I'll  go  and  collect  it  myself,"  and  he  stormed  worse  than  ever. 
The  Frenchman  was  very  much  alarmed.  He  took  his  brother-in-law,  Mr. 
Joseph  Peyton,  out  of  the  room  and  asked  with  anxiety  :  "  What  is  it  zat  ze 
President  wants?  Does  he  want  ze  Congress  to  make  him  one  grand  high 
sheriff  to  go  across  ze  ocean  and  collect  ze  money  from  my  master,  ze  king?" 

"  That's  it  exactly,"  Colonel  Peyton  replied,  "  and  he'll  make  the 
damnedest  sheriff  you  ever  saw.  If  he  goes  over  there  after  that  money  you 
may  bet  he'll  have  it  before  he  leaves."  The  Frenchman  thoughtfully 
scratched  his  head  and  in  a  tone  of  amazement  found  voice  to  utter,  "  Ain't 
he  one  remarkable  man  ?" 

In  1844  a  very  panicky  neighbor  of  General  Jackson  visited  the  Hermi- 
tage one  day  about  the  time  that  the  trouble  with  Mexico  was  brewing. 
. 


THE   STORY   OF   ANDREW  JACKSON.  487 

"  The  Mexicans  are  the  most  stubborn  race  in  the  world,"  excitedly 
remarked  the  visitor,  "  and  if  we  get  into  a  war  with  them  I  am  afraid  it  will 
last  forty  or  fifty  years." 

"  Give  yourself  no  uneasiness  about  that,"  calmly  replied  the  General ; 
"  I  can  go  to  Sumner  County,  raise  2,000  volunteers  and  run  every  Mexican 
into  the  Pacific  Ocean  in  six  months."  The  panicky  man's  nervousness 
seemed  to  be  almost  entirely  allayed  by  this  expression  of  confidence. 

At  Clover  Bend  a  mob  got  after  Patton  Anderson,  who  was  a  warm 
friend  of  the  general.  They  were  determined  on  taking  his  life.  Anderson 
had  retreated  and  entered  the  yard,  with  the  mob  in  close  pursuit.  Jackson 
intercepted  the  angry  crowd,  and  with  an  explanation  of  warning  threw  his 
hand  to  his  hip  pocket,  and  withdrawing  a  spectacle  case  opened  it  with  a 
snap  which  could  be  distinctly  heard  some  distance. 

"  By  the  eternal  God,"  he  shouted,  "  the  first  man  that  puts  his  foot  on 
this  step  is  a  dead  man  !  "  This  effectually  checked  the  mob.  "  I  had  no 
pistol,"  said  Jackson  to  an  intimated  friend  afterward,  "but  the  snap  of  the 
spectacle  case  deceived  them." 

"  The  corporations  and  wealthy  individuals  who  are  engaged  in  manu- 
facturing establishments  desire  a  high  tariff  to  increase  their  gains. 
Designing  politicians  will  support  it  to  conciliate  their 
favor  and  to  obtain  the  means  for  profuse  expenditure  for 

Farewell  Address. 

the  purpose  of  purchasing  influence  in  other  quarters. 
Do  not  allow  yourselves,  my  fellow-citizens,  to  be  misled  in  this  subject.  It 
is  a  system  of  injustice,  and,  if  persisted  in,  will  lead  to  corruption  and  must 
end  in  ruin." 

The  counsel  which  Jackson  gave  in  his  farewell  ^address  exhibits  his 
lofty  patriotism  no  more  than  his  wise  statesmanship.  Among  other  impres- 
sive observations  he  said  :  "  In  presenting  to  you,  my  fellow-citizens,  these 
parting  counsels,  I  have  brought  before  you  the  leading  principles  upon 
which  I  have  endeavored  to  administer  the  government  in  the  high  office 

with  which  you  have  twice  honored   me Our  growth  has  been 

rapid  beyond  all  former  example  in  numbers,  in  wealth,  ....  and 
there  have  never  been  ....  millions  of  people  associated  in  one 
body  who  have  enjoyed  so  much  freedom  and  happiness  as  the  people  of  the 
United  States.  You  have  no  -longer  any  cause  to  fear  danger  from  abroad  ; 
your  strength  and  power  are  well  known  throughout  the  civilized  world,  as 
well  as  the  high  and  gallant  bearing  of  your  sons.  It  is  from  within, 
among  yourselves — from  cupidity,  from  disappointed  ambition  and  inordi- 
nate thirst  of  power — that  factions  will  be  formed  and  liberty  endangered. 
It  is  against  such  designs  that  you  have  especially  to  guard  yourselves. 


488  SERIOUS   BATTLE   WITH    THE   FILIPINOS. 

"  My  own  race  is  nearly  run.  Advanced  age  and  failing  health  warn 
me  that  before  long  I  must  pass  beyond  the  reach  of  human  events  and 
cease  to  feel  the  vicissitudes  of  human  affairs.  I  thank  God  that  my  life  has 
been  spent  in  a  land  of  liberty,  and  that  He  has  given  me  a  heart  to  love  my 
country  with  the  affection  of  a  son." 


OUR  MOST  SERIOUS  BATTLES  WITH  THE  FILIPINOS. 

THAT  our  government  entered  upon  a  grave  undertaking,  which, 
though  great  in  the  beginning,  has  assumed  a  more  serious  aspect 
than  could  be  foreseen,  was  clearly  proved  by  events  directly  fol- 
lowing conclusion  of  the  peace  treaty  with  Spain.  The  Filipinos 
quickly  manifested  their  intention  to  form  an  independent  government,  and 
when  Aguinaldo's  request  of  the  United  States  to  make  a  declaration  of 
purpose  respecting  the  acknowledgment  of  a  Filipino  republic  was  refused, 
that  ambitious  leader  took  the  offensive  by  preparing  to  continue  the  strug- 
gle for  independence  which  the  conclusion  of  our  war  with  Spain  had  inter- 
rupted. In  an  earlier  article  to  be  found  in  this  work,  description  is  given 
of  the  battle  precipitated  by  the  Filipinos  on  the  night  of  February  4, 
and  of  the  capture  of  Iloilo  and  the  engagements  near  Manila  to  February 
10,  resulting  in  a  defeat  of  the  insurgents  at  Caloocan  and  Malate.  These 
conflicts  were  believed,  for  a  while,  to  have  so  discouraged  Aguinaldo  that 
he  was  well  disposed  to  treat  for  peace,  and  overtures  to  this  end  were 
actually  made,  but  General  Otis  refused  to  consider  any  terms  except  such 
as  provided  for  an  unconditional  surrender  of  all  the  insurgents,  and  their 
unqualified  submission  to  the  dictates  of  the  United  States  government. 
4  Aguinaldo,  as  has  been  previously  shown,  is  a  man  of  unbounded 
ambition  ;  who  having  risen  to  not  only  the  position  of  leadership,  but  to  the 
presidency  of  the  newly  organized  Filipino  republic,  was 
unwilling  to  descend  from  the  high  estate  which  he  had  Aguinaldo 

Encourages  His 

gamed  by  the  fortunes  of  war,  and  elected  to  continue  a    people  to  Fight, 
war  for  independence  against  the  United  States,  hopeless 
as  it  appeared,  rather  than  relinquish  the  power  he  had  achieved,  which  to 
him  was  the  pearl  of  great  price.     Resolutely  therefore    he  reformed    his 
shattered  ranks,  and  set  all  the  machinery  of  his  influence  in  motion  to  stir 
up  and  encourage  the  several  tribes  of  the  archipelago  to  wage  war  against 
the  American  army  of  invasion.     So  well  did  he  succeed  that  insurrections 
followed  in  the  islands  of  Mindanao,  Panay  and  Cebu,  and  all  the  tribes  in 


SERIOUS   BATTLE   WITH   THE   FILIPINOS. 

Luzon  acknowledged  allegiance  to  him,  and  flocked  to  the  support  of  his 
banner. 

There  was  almost  constant  skirmishing  after  February  10,  but  the 
Filipinos  always  retired  before  the  Americans,  endeavoring  to  lure  their 
enemies  into  the  interior,  beyond  the  range  of  Admiral  Dewey's  fleet,  and  to 
points  where  it  would  be  most  difficult  for  our  army  to  manoeuvre  effectively. 
It  was  not  therefore  until  Saturday,  March  25,  1899,  that  a  movement  was 
made  to  engage  the  Filipinos,  the  main  army  of  which  was  known  to  be 
concentrated  in  the  vicinity  of  Polo,  twenty  miles  north  of  Manila,  and 
supposed  to  be  25,000  strong,  by  which  position  they  were  able  to  guard  the 
approach  to  Malolos,  the  Filipinos  Capital.  The  movement  of  our  troops 
was  begun  by  General  MacArthur  advancing  with  two  brigades  towards 
Novaliches,  which  is  twenty-five  miles  northeast  of  Manila,  and  then 
swinging  to  the  left  to  strike  Polo  from  the  north.  Wheaton's  brigade,  which 
lay  in  front  of  Caloocan,  pressed  forward  at  the  same  time,  and  Hall's 
brigade  on  the  old  line  north  of  Pasig  made  a  demonstration  towards  the 
left.  The  enemy  in  our  immediate  front  was  estimated  to  be  12,000  strong, 
with  a  reserve  of  as  many  more,  while  east  of  Pasig  there  was  a  force  of 
5,000,  which  had  to  be  reckoned  with,  the  line  being  thus  a  semi-circle  with 
a  radius  of  twenty  miles  and  a  sweep  of  fifty  miles. 

The  troops  engaged  were  the  Third  Artillery,  as  infantry  ;  the  Montana, 
Kansas,  Pennsylvania,  Nebraska,  Wyoming,  Colorado,  South  Dakota,  Min- 
nesota and  Oregon  volunteers;  the  Third,  Fourth,  Seven- 
Re  liars*  En  a  ed  teenth  an(^  Twenty-second  regulars;  the  Utah  Artillery 
battalion  and  Twenty-third  regulars. 

The  Nebraska  and  Colorado  volunteer  regiments  encountered  the  first 
strong  resistance.  This  was  at  San  Francisco  del  Monte,  four  miles  from 
Manila,  and  in  the  surrounding  trenches.  The  cavalry  outflanked  the 
enemy,  who  broke  and  ran,  suffering  a  severe  loss,  but  they  directly 
reformed  and  made  a  stubborn  stand  in  the  woods  north  of  the  Laloma  Church. 

General  MacArthur's  division,  composed  of  General  Harrison  Gray 
Otis'  brigade  on  the  left,  made  up  of  the  Third  Artillery  aaid  the  Twentieth 
Kansas  and  First  Montana  regiments,'  and  General  Hale's  brigade,  which 
included  the  First  South  Dakota,  Tenth  Pennsylvania  and  First  Nebraska 
regiments,  led  the  advance.  As  this  force  moved  forward  beyond  the  trenches 
that  had  been  deserted  by  the  Filipinos,  the  reserves  occupied  the  trenches, 
prepared  to  advance  when  their  services  might  be  needed.  The  reserve  force 
was  made  up  of  General  Wheaton's  command,  composed  of  the  Second 
Oregon  Regiment  and  the  Twenty-second  and  Third  Infantry,  and  General 
Hall's  brigade,  which  included  the  Fourth  Infantry,  two  battalions  of  the 


490  SERIOUS  BATTLE   WITH   THE   FILIPINOS. 

Seventeenth  Infantry  and  the  Thirteenth  Minnesota  and  First  Wyoming 
regiments. 

General  MacArthur  advanced  to  the  eastward,  encountering  sharp  and 
immediate  opposition  from  the  Filipinos,  who  were  massed  in  considerable 
force  in  that  direction  and  poured  a  heavy  small-arm  fire 
upon  the  Americans.     General  Hale  quickly  extending  his  A  stubborn  "«»'»t- 

?  .  ance  by  the  Enemy. 

front,  Otis  artillery  rushed  to  the  firing  line  two  guns  of 
the  Utah  battery  of  light  artillery  under  Lieutenant  Naylor,  two  guns  of  the 
Sixth  Artillery  under  Lieutenant  Flemming  and  a  Colt  automatic  field  gun 
in  command  of  Ensign  Davis. 

While  the  artillery  vigorously  shelled  the  village  of  Masambong,  the 
infantry  charged  across  the  level  open  fields  in  utter  disregard  of  the  terrible 
volleying  of  the  insurgents,  and  with  a  great  cheer  carried  the  trenches, 
driving  the  enemy  from  them  in  disorder.  The  Filipinos  gave  ground 
stubbornly,  but  they  could  not  withstand  the  impetuous  rushes  of  the  United 
States  troops,  which  continually  advanced  in  the  face  of  the  most  galling 
fire.  They  stood  the  assaults  for  a  time,  but  the  relentless  oncoming  of  the 
Americans  was  demoralizing ;  they  could  not  understand  such  deadly, 
earnest  work,  and  at  last  they  fell  back. 

After  carrying  the  trenches  the  Americans  swung  to  the  northward, 
capturing  in  splendid  style  the  fortified  towns  of  Balintauac,  Baeza  and 
Cathuhan,  and  finally  driving  the  enemy  before  them  through  the  swamps 
bordering  the  Juliaha  River  toward  the  town  of  Novaliches.  The  rough 
character  of  the  country,  with  its  dense  undergrowth,  and  the  determined 
resistance  of  the  enemy,  prevented  further  advance  in  this  direction,  and  the 
line  swung  to  the  left  along  the  river. 

General  Wheaton  began  operations  from  Caloocan,  which  is  seven  miles 
due  north  of  Manila.     He  was  met  with  a  heavy  fire  from 
Malabon,  about  a  mile  to  the  west  and  slightly  north  of    J^n^n  thue 

,&        *  Malabon  Trenches. 

Caloocan,  and  from  the  trenches  directly  in  front,  where 
the  enemy  were  stationed  in  large  numbers. 

At  8.30  o'clock  the  Twenty-second  regulars  advanced  with  the  purpose 
of  forming  connection  between  Colonel  Egbert's  regiment  on  the  right  and 
the  Third  Artillery,  which  formed  the  left  of  General  MacArthur's  division. 
The  attempt  was  a  daring  one,  and  was  pluckily  maintained  under  a  galling 
fire,  but  the  end  was  failure,  which  left  a  gap  of  a  mile  on  the  extreme  left 
of  the  American  line. 

The  Oregon  legiment  advanced  almost  to  the  confines  of  the  town  of 
Malabon,  thus  receiving  the  heaviest  fire  of  any  of  the  United  States  troops 
who  were  engaged.  The  natives  fought  like  demons,  at  times  actually 


SERIOUS   BATTLE   WITH   THE   FIUPINOS.  491 

leaving  their  trenches  and  with  reckless  bravery  charging  the  Oregon 
regiment.  It  was  only  by  the  most  magnificent  fighting  on  the  part  of  the 
latter  and  their  utter  disregard  of  the  incessant  volleying  of  Aguinaldo's 
followers  that  they  were  enabled  to  hold  their  ground.  In  this  engagement 
they  lost  eight  killed  and  twenty-three  wounded. 

The  position  of  the  Oregon  men  was  still  a  most  trying  one  when  they 
were  reinforced  by  a  battalion  of  the  Third  Infantry  in  command  of  Captain 
Cook.  With  the  arrival  of  reinforcements  the  assault  was  renewed  with 
spirit  and  the  enemy  was  soon  compelled  to  yield.  The  Filipinos  retreated 
upon  Malabon  helter-skelter,  the  Americans  pursuing  them  clear  into  the 
streets  of  the  town  and  inflicting  great  loss.  The  Oregon  regiment  and  the 
Third  Artillery  suffered  the  heaviest  loss  on  the  American  side,  the  latter 
being  particularly  exposed  in  storming  a  strong  earth  fort,  which  they  car- 
ried at  the  point  of  the  bayonet. 

The  Montana  and  Kansas  troops  met  the  hottest  resistance  in  a  strip 

from  which  the  rebels  had   greatly  worried  the  Americans  recently  during 

the  night  time.     Ninety  minutes  after  the  start — at  six 

Fierce  Resistance  o'clock — the   whole  front  for  a  distance  of  three  miles  to 

the  north  had  been  cleared.     General  Hale's  brigade  had 
Kansas  Troops. 

simultaneously  swept  in  a  northwesterly  direction,  routing 
the  enemy  and  burning  the  town  of  San  Francisco  del  Monte  and  a  number 
of  scattered  huts.  The  line  was  then  opposite  Novaliches,  the  artillery 
advancing  along  a  good  road  from  Laloma,  to  Novaliches,  the  wagons,  carry- 
ing pontoons,  telegraph  supplies  and  ammunition,  following.  The  infantry 
moved  in  splendid  order.  Smoke  from  the  burning  huts  marked  the  line  of 
the  American  advance.  Ambulances  and  horse  litters,  led  by  Chinese, 
brought  in  the  wounded,  among  whom  were  a  few  Filipinos. 

A  strong  opposition  was  offered  by  the  enemy  that  made  a  stand 
between  Malabon  and  the  river  Tuliahan,  where,  being  well  protected  by 
the  woods,  they  held  their  fire  until  General  Wheaton's  troops  had  approached 
within  200  yards,  when  a  murderous  volley  was  delivered  that  did  frightful 
execution.  Our  soldiers  never  faltered,  however,  and  charged  the  brush  so 
resolutely  that  the-  Filipinos  retreated  in  disorder,  dividing  up,  after  the 
manner  of  Indians,  so  that  they  could  not  be  successfully  pursued.  The 
heat  was  overpowering  during  the  whole  of  the  engagement,  and  so  many 
prostrations  occurred  that  the  army  was  seriously  incommoded. 

The  fighting  continued  throughout  Sunday  and  nearly  all  of  Monday, 
always  to  the  advantage  of  the  Americans,  but  without  decisive  results. 
Aguinaldo  is  said  to  have  personally  commanded  his  army  and  to  have  acted 
with  great  skill  and  courage,  for  though  defeated  at  every  point  where  a  stand 


492  SERIOUS  BATTLE   WITH   THE   FILIPINOS. 

was  made,  he  prevented  a  disastrous  rout  and  succeeded  in  drawing  off  his 
forces  towards  Malolos  without  having  sustained  great  damage.  The  losses  on 
both  sides  were  severe,  that  of  the  enemy  being  estimated  at  500  killed  and 
1,000  wounded,  besides  100  prisoners  taken.  This  estimate,  it  may  be  admit- 
ted, is  no  better  than  a  guess,  but  our  own  losses  prove  the  courage  and  effect- 
ive righting  qualities  of  the  Filipinos,  and  that  to  conquer  them  will  require 
the  expenditure  of  a  large  amount  of  blood  and  treasure.  The  number  of 
killed  on  our  side  in  the  two  days'  engagement  was  approximately  forty, 
and  there  were  207  wounded.  Among  the  former  was  Colonel  Harry  C. 
Egbert,  of  the  Twenty-second  Infantry  of  Regulars.  He  was  shot  in  the 
abdomen  while  leading  a  bayonet  charge,  and  fell  from  his  horse.  General 
Wheaton  saw  him  fall  and  went  immediately  to  his  aid.  He  was  laid  upon 
a  litter  and  carried  to  the  rear,  but  died  before  reaching  a  hospital.  Colonel 
Egbert  was  a  second  lieutenant  in  the  Twelfth  United  States  Infantry  during 
the  civil  war,  and  was  twice  taken  prisoner,  being  confined  some  time  in 
Libby  prison.  After  the  war  he  remained  in  the  army  and  was  made  major 
of  the  Seventeenth  Infantry,  afterwards  being  promoted  to  lieutenant-colonel 
of  the  Sixth  Infantry.  He  was  with  General  Shafter's  army  in  the  cam- 
paign against  Santiago,  and  succeeded  Charles  A.  Wyckoff  as  colonel  of  the 
Twenty-second  Infantry  after  that  brave  officer  was  killed  at  San  Juan  Hill. 
He  was  wounded  soon  after,  but  recovered  in  time  to  accompany  his  regi- 
ment when  it  sailed  for  Manila  February  i,  arriving  March  4. 

Lieutenant  Maurice  G.  Krayenbuhl,  commissary  of  subsistence,  with 
the  rank  of  captain  in  the  volunteer  service,  was  also  mortally  wounded. 
He  had  distinguished  himself  by  specially  valorous  action  in  the  battle  of 
Malate,  fought  with  the  Spanish  July  31,  1898,  where  he  is  credited  with 
having  saved  from  panic  the  first  platoon  of  Battery  K,  Third  United  States 
Artillery,  serving  as  Infantry.  In  the  same  engagement  Adjutant  Jonas  H. 
Lien  and  Lieutenants  Frank  H.  Adams  and  Sidney  E.  Morrison  were  killed 
while  heroically  advancing  in  front  of  the  line. 

There  was  a  lull  in  the  fighting  on  March  27  because  the  retreating 
Filipinos  crossed  the  Bulican  river  and  burned  the  bridges  so  as  to  stop  the 
advance  of  their  pursuers  until  the  pontoon  corps  provided  means  for  crossing 
the  stream.  On  the  following  day,  however,  a  passage  was  made  and  the 
fighting  was  renewed  before  Marialo  where  the  Filipino  armv  made  a  stand 
in  the  open  and  a  sharp  conflict  took  place.  The  enemy  was  commanded 
by  four  generals,  viz :  Aguinaldo  as  generalissimo,  and  Garcia,  Torres 
and  Pacheco,  who  boldly  advanced  to  meet  the  Americans  under  MacArthur, 
consisting  of  the  Nebraska,  South  Dakota,  and  Tenth  Pennsylvania  on  the 
right.  The  Kansas  regiment,  the  Third  Regular  Artillery,  and  the  Montana 


SERIOUS  BATTLE  WITH  THE  FILIPINOS.  493 

regiment   on    the   left.      Brigadier-Generals  Hale  and  H.  G.  Otis  were  in 

command  of  their  respective  brigades,  General  Hale  on  the  right  and  General 

Otis  on  the  left.       Following  the  formation   that  General 

MacArthur  observed  during  his   march  to  the  northward. 

righting. 

General  Wheaton's  brigade  was  ,in  reserve,  guarding  the 
railroad.  As  the  Filipinos  advanced  for  the  first  time  in  battle  order,  our  line 
reserved  its  fire  until  the  enemy  was  well  within  four  hundred  yards.  Then 
the  command  to  fire  was  given  all  along  the  American  front.  There  was  a 
roar  from  field  artillery  and  a  shriek  from  rifles.  Immediately  the  Filipino 
line  was  broken,  and  the  soldiers  of  Aguinaldo  began  to  retreat  in  confusion. 
The  soldiers  of  our  advance  could  plainly  see  the  insurgent  officers  trying  to 
stop  the  flight  of  the  men  under  their  command,  but  no  control  obtained 
against  the  advance  of  our  soldiers,  and  soon  the  plain  was  clear  for  our 
force  to  cross. 

Prisoners  who  were  taken  in  the  engagement  declared  that  the  officers  stood 
behind  the  Filipino  soldiers  with  whips  instead  of  swords,  and  lashed  the 
unwilling  men  to  force  them  to  hold  their  positions,  a  declaration  which  was 
supported  by  the  appearance  of  marks  found  upon  the  bodies  of  Filipinos 
that  were  killed  in  the  trenches.  Aguinaldo  employed,  according  to  the 
relation  of  the  prisoners,  even  more  potent  discouragers  of  hesitancy  than 
the  whip,  for  it  is  claimed  that  he  daily  executed  sentence  of  death,  summarily 
imposed  upon  men  in  his  force  who  refused  to  further  fight  and  those  taken 
who  fled  from  his  camp. 

In  the  stand  made  on  the  field  four  of  our  men  were  killed  and  about 
thirty-five  were  wounded.  Of  the  killed  two  were  members  of  the  First 
Montana,  one  was  a  member  of  the  First  Nebraska  and  one  was  a  member 
of  the  Tenth  Pennsylvania.  Among  the  wounded  was  an  officer  of  the 
Kansas  regiment. 

Thenceforward  our  troops  had  little  opposition.  The  Filipinos  retreated 
in  the  general  direction  of  Malolos.  In  their  retreat  they  tore  up  sections  of 
the  railroad  to  harass  movement  of  our  supplies  and  burned  the  small  villages. 

We  had  expected  stern  resistance  at  Bocave,  having  been  informed  of 

concentration  there  of  Filipino  troops  after  the  fall  of  Marilao.     Aguinaldo 

evidently  was  not  inclined  to  repeat  his  experiment  of  the 

Our  Advance  Meets     lang  north  of  Marilao,  for  MacArthur  found  no  foe  at 

Small  Opposition.    1 

Bocave,  and  entered  the  town  without  opposition,  the 
artillery  crossing  the  bridge.  After  a  halt  at  Bocave  to  rest  the  men,  the 
advance  was  resumed,  and  later  in  the  day  our  army  marched  into  Bigaa 
without  having  to  fight  their  way  across  the  river  at  that  town.  The 
Filipinos  had  set  fire  to  the  bridge  at  Bigaa,  but  the  damage  was  slight. 


494  SERIOUS  BATTLE  WITH  THE  FILIPINOS. 

Along  the  line  of  march  were  many  unfinished  trenches,  indicating 
that  the  insurgent  leaders  were  not  prepared  for  the  speed  of  our  troopi. 
Evidently  the  Filipinos  had  relied  upon  halting  MacArthur  at  the  Marilao 
River.  Failing  there,  they  tried  on  the  plain  north  of  Marilao.  Again  the 
resistance  was  futile,  and  they  retreated  in  disorder  beyond  Bocave,  passing 
to  the  westward  from  Bocave  and  halting  east  of  Bulacan.  Bulacan  lies 
westward  of  Bocave  and  Bigaa  is  a  little  north  of  the  latter  ;  after  the  capitu- 
lation of  these  places,  our  army  pushed  ahead  steadily  towards  Malalos, 
expecting  the  enemy  to  make  a  final  stand  in  defence  of  their  capital. 

MacArthur's  advance  towards    Malolos  was  continuous,   except   when 
interrupted  by  streams  which  it  was  necessary  to  bridge  by  the  pontoon 
corps.     But  his  progress  was  not  by  peaceful  marches,  for 
the  Filipinos  harrassed  the  flanks  of  his  lines  and  several  , 

Insurgent  Capital. 

times  made  a  stand  that  was  broken  only  by  fierce  charges 
of  our  determined  troops.  On  March  30,  MacArthur  crossed  the  Guiguinto 
River,  and  rested  a  few  hours  in  the  jungle  less  than  three  miles  from  Malolos; 
when  the  army  began  their  movement  again,  along  the  railway,  the  enemy 
was  encountered,  in  considerable  force,  intrenched  on  the  border  of  the 
woods  on  the  right  of  the  track.  As  the  Americans  were  in  the  open  they 
suffered  from  a  galling  fire  poured  into  them  by  the  concealed  enemy,  which 
killed  four  and  wounded  thirty  of  the  Nebraska  regiment,  and  a  slight  loss 
was  also  sustained  by  the  Dakota  and  Pennsylvania  regiments.  After  sharp 
fighting  for  half  an  hour  the  Filipinos  were  driven  from  their  first  intrench- 
ments,  and  retired  to  two  other  lines,  which,  however,  they  held  for  only  a 
few  minutes,  when  they  broke  into  a  precipitate  retreat  towards  their  capital. 
General  MacArthur  and  his  staff  were  walking  abreast  of  the  advance,  and 
were  fired  upon  by  sharpshooters  hidden  in"  the  trees  and  houses,  a  shower 
of  bullets  falling  about  them,  but  without  damage. 

Mariguina,  a  small  village,  was  taken  before  the  close  of  the  day,  and 
after  a  rest  of  ten  hours  the  victorious  advance  was  resumed,  about  three  o'clock 
on  the  morning  of  March  31,  receiving  a  heavy  fire  from  the  right,  but 
halted  a  mile  and  a  half  from  Malolos  where  our  lines  were  formed  for  a 
final  charge  across  the  open  country  as  follows :  Third  United  States  Artil- 
lary,  Montana  Volunteers,  Kansas  Volunteers,  Tenth  Pennsylvania,  South 
Dakota  Volunteers,  Nebraska  Volunteers,  Fourth  United  States  Cavalry. 

There  was  great  deliberation  in  the  action  of  General  MacArthur,  who 
felt  that  the  situation  was  sufficiently  secure  to  allow  of  some  indulgence  to 
his  tired  but  enthusiastic  army.  A  good  breakfast  was  partaken  of  just  before 
daylight  without  any  signs  of  hurriedness,  and  when  the  men  declared  them- 
thernselves  properly  refreshed  the  line  formations  were  perfected  and  at  six 


SERIOUS  BATTLE  WITH  THE  FILIPINOS.  495 

o'clock  the  charge  was  sounded.     The  fight  which  followed  was  far  from  a 

bloodless  one,  for  the  Filipinos  offered  a  stubborn  resistance  for  nearly  two 

hours,  but  failed   to   stop    the  advance.     The    Americans 

in  the°streeteg  *  dashed  into  the  city  and  then    the  battle   raged   in  the 

streets,  and  from  house  to  house,  sometimes  hand-to-hand, 

until  the  place  broke  into  flames,  set  on  fire  by  the    Filipinos,  when    the 

enemy  retreated  northward  leaving  their  burning  capital,  in  our  possession. 

In  this    desperate  engagement   our  losses   were    three    killed   and    fifteen 

wounded,  and  the  casualties  of  the  2nemy  were  considerably  greater. 

The  Filipinos  left  only  smoking  ruins  to  mark  their  line  of  retreat, 
for  from  the  time  they  evacuated  Bulucan,  they  applied  the  torch  to  all  villages 
and  country  houses,  and  at  Bocave  they  murdered  twenty  Chinamen  who  pro- 
tested against  the  destruction  of  their  property  as  aliens.  The  retreating 
army  was  accompanied  by  great  numbers  of  women,  children,  and  other  non- 
combatants,  and  large  bodies  of  Spanish  prisoners  were  driven  along  in  front 
of  the  fleeing  columns,  the  Filipinos  being  careful  to  prevent  their  escape, 
reckoning  that  a  large  ransom  may  be  offered  for  their  release,  or  that 
better  terms  of  peace  may  be  arranged  upon  the  conditions  of  setting  them 
at  liberty. 

Aguinaldo's  capital  was  captured  before  9  o'clock  a.  m.,  of  March  3ist, 
but  few  houses  were  saved  from  the  conflagration,  and  the  insurgent  chief- 
tain contrived  to  not  only  make  his  escape  but  to  bring 
"  '  off  nearly  the  whole  of  his  army,  where  it  will  probably 

scatter  among  the  mountains  in  small  bands  and  harrass 
our  troops  and  the  country  by  predatory  excursions  and  sharp  dashes.  A 
guerrilla  warfare  must  now  follow,  with  a  prospect  of  long  continuance 
unless  some  fortune  shall  depose  Aguinaldo,  who  is  the  head  and  heart  of 
the  insurrection. 

While  MacArthur  was  operating  against  Malolos  General  Hall's  brigade 
advanced  from  Mariquina  up  the  Mateo  valley  to  a  point  near  Montalban, 
the  enemy  retreating  without  offering  resistance  until  at  the  junction  of  the 
Nanca  and  Ampit  rivers  with  the  Mateo  where  a  stand  was  made  and  some 
sharp  fighting  took  place  The  insurg  >^ts  exhibited  great  courage  until  our 
artillery  was  brought  into  action  which  struck  terror  into  their  ranks  and 
caused  them  to  break  into  a  pell-mell  rout,  leaving  many  of  their  dead  and 
wounded  on  the  field.  To  General  Hall  the  credit  must  also  be  given  of 
having  driven  the  enemy  from  Mariquina,  and  of  chasing  2,000  Filipinos 
into  the  hill  country  where  it  was  not  practicable  to  follow  them  at  once. 

It  would  be  idle  to  deny  that  the  commanders  of  our  forces  in  the 
Philippines  have  had  many  anxious  moments,  or  that  the  resistance  of  the 


496 


SERIOUS  BATTLE  WITH  THE  FILIPINOS. 


Filipinos  lias  been  unexpectedly  stubborn.  The  fighting  quality  of  the 
Tagal  insurgents  has  been  proven  to  be  clever,  courageous,  and  unremitting, 
and  the  advantages  which  we  have  gained  have  been  due  to  the  discipline, 
determination,  and  control  exerted  against  a  wily  foe,  intrenched  in  and 
supported  by  a  favorable  field  of  action  and  inspired  by  a  mistaken  idea  as 
to  his  fate  in  the  case  of  defeat  or  capture. 

The  startling  phase  of  the  campaign  was  the  forced  abandonment  of 
our  declared  plan.  The  original  intention  of  General  Otis  was  to  take  the 
initiative  with  two  divisions.  The  first,  under  General  Lawton,  was  depended 
upon  to  hold  in  check  the  force  south  of  Manila,  about  Pasig,  and  his  contin- 


MAP  OF  THE  COUNTRY  THROUGH  WHICH  THE  FII.IPINO  INSURGENTS  WERE  DRIVEN  BY  THE 

AMERICAN  TROOPS. 

ued  belief  in  the  success  of  this  strategy  is  demonstrated  in  a  despatch  where 
it  is  asserted  that  the  movements  of  this  southern  enemy  are  giving  him  no 
concern — because  "  Lawton  will  look  out  for  them." 

The  second  disposition  of  the  army  was  to  be  an  advance  by  General 
MacArthur's  division  northward  and  westward,  one-half  of  the  force  attack- 


SERIOUS  BATTLE  WITH  THE  FILIPINOS.  497 

ing  the  insurgents  to  the  south  and  the  other  closing  its  retreat  to  the  north. 
It  was  hoped  that  this  taking  "  in  reverse  "  would  be  the  resultant  of  a  sur- 
prise, but  unfortunately  the  Filipinos  at  Malabon  escaped  before  the  lines 
were  drawn.  This  demanded  a  readjustment  of  the  initial  theory,  and  Gen- 
eral Otis  was  compelled  to  consolidate  both  attacking  columns  and  direct 
them  for  a  united  assault  upon  the  insurgent  stronghold  and  capital  at 
Malolos. 

The  topography  of  the  tropical  country  assailed  offers  a  difficult  problem 

to  the  attack.    It  is  thickly  wooded  and  bushed  ;  many  small  creeks  traverse 

it  on  their  way  to  the  bay ;    the  roads  are  impassable  for 

Serious  light  artillery  and  scouting  or  quickly  manoeuvring-  cavalry ; 

Impediments 

Encountered.  ambuscades  await  at  every  turn,  and,  owing  to  the  nature 
of  the  soil  and  woods  and  undergrowth,  intrenchments  can 
easily  be  thrown  up  without  the  implements  or  the  skill  demanded  in 
ordinary  military  engineering. 

These  impediments  made  our  progress  slow,  though  it  is  comforting  to 
know  that  in  less  than  three  days'  fighting  our  troops  forced  the  enemy  to 
retire  fifteen  miles,  and  were  able  without  serious  loss  to  advance  our  main 
army  nearly  ten  miles.  The  strategy  therefore  resolved  itself  into  a  stolid, 
determined  advance  of  our  troops  upon  a  slow  and  dogged  retreat  of  the 
enemy,  the  objective  point  being  Malolos — twenty  miles  north  of  Manila. 

Admiral  Dewey  had  disposed  his  vessels  so  as  to  cover  the  water  flanks 
of  the  troops,  and  in  a  position  where  his  ships  could  be  called  upon  at  any 
time  to  transport  brigades  to  a  point  north  of  Malolos,  where  an  attack  upon 
the  rear  was  expected  to  decide  the  day.  An  army  flotilla  was  in  the  mean- 
time patrolling  the  Laguna  to  the  southward  of  Manila,  to  hold  in  check  the 
insurgents  of  that  district. 


The  last  stronghold  of  the  Filipino  insurgents  fell  before  ten  o'clock 
Friday  morning,  March  31,  and  the  shattered  army  of  Aguinaldo,  thought  to 
be  five  thousand  strong,  and  the  administration,  with  all  its  official  impedi- 
menta, seals,  banners,  insignia,  throne,  and  family,  hurried  away  to  the  north- 
east in  a  most  undignified  retreat.  There  were  some  comical  scenes  enacted 
during  the  rout  but  the  incidents  connected  with  the  assault  and  evacuation 
were  chiefly  tragic.  The  sight  that  broke  upon  the  vision  of  MacArthur's 
advancing  columns,  as  they  approached  Malolos,  was  beautiful,  and  to  the 
victorious  troops  it  was  inspiriting.  The  morning  was  clear,  with  a  sunlight 
that  made  the  rich  vegetation  appear  in  glorious  colors,  while  across  the 

intervening  low-lands    towards  the  sea  there  was   an    ineffable   calm  and 
32 


498  SERIOUS  BATTLE  WITH  THE  FILIPINOS. 

opalescent  haze  of  indescribable  grandeur.  This  peaceful  scene  was  very 
soon  interrupted  by  a  boom  on  the  right,  which  was  taken  as  a  signal  for 
the  battle  that  had  been  prepared  for.  As  was  afterwards  ascertained, 
Aguinaldo  had  foreseen  the  result  of  MacArthur's  attack,  and,  with  the  main 
body  of  his  broken  army,  made  his  escape  from  the  capital  on  Wednesday 
the  29,  leaving  two  thousand  of  his  soldiers  to  hold  the  city  and  cover  his 
retreat.  This  remnant,  small  and  poorly  armed  as  it  was,  exhibited  great 
courage  during  the  first  onset,  but  were  awed  by  the  extraordinary  heroism 
of  our  soldiers,  whose  charges  were  in  such  striking  contrast  with  those  to 
which  the  Filipinos  had  been  accustomed  in  fighting  the  Spaniards. 

The  campaign  was  conducted  on  the  most  humane  principles  by  our 
troops,  but  this  did  not  prevent  the  commission  of  many  deeds  which  ruth- 
less war  made  unavoidable,  that  caused  the  eye  of  pity  to 
moisten  and  the  heart    of  sympathy  to  beat  with  awe,  for 

Along  the  Way. 

sorrow  everywhere  abounded  between  Caloocan  and  Malolos. 

One  would  be  very  inhuman  indeed  who  could  visit  these  scenes  of 
desolation  without  a  deep  sense  of  sympathy  for  the  houseless  and  homeless. 
The  country  is  naturally  a  perfect  paradise.  From  the  city  of  Malolos  the 
land  rises  in  gently  undulating  ridges  to  the  hills  in  the  rear.  Fertile  plains 
are  broken  by  hedgerows  of  bamboo,  banana  and  acacia  trees,  and  the  eye 
rests  with  grateful  repose  on  the  soft  yellow  flower  of  the  amargosa,  or 
welcomes  the  effective  red  blaze  of  the  bougainvilla.  In  places  the  waving 
grass  was  ripe  for  the  sickle  that  could  never  garner  it ;  the  fruit  was  ready 
to  be  plucked.  Yet  this  paradise  was  devastated  and  made  to  show  the 
blighting  trail  of  the  serpent.  Crops  were  trampled  under  foot,  the  husband- 
men who  should  have  been  reaping  the  fruits  of  their  labor,  or  preparing 
the  soil  were  summoned  by  the  fiery  cross  of  Aguinaldo,  and  soon  thereafter 
were  watching  the  smoking  ruins  of  their  homes  from  the  adjacent  hillsides, 
unable  in  the  majority  of  cases  to  understand  why  this  evil  thing  had  come 
upon  them.  But  it  was  war,  grim,  gaunt,  inexorable,  that  spares  nothing, 
and  destroys  without  limit  with  the  blood-cravings  instruments  of  hate. 
These  were  now  employed  to  drive  the  Filipinos  from  their  capital,  whose 
resistance,  inspired  by  Aguinaldo's  bootless  ambition,  had  brought  this  grief 
upon  their  land. 

The  engagement  was  begun  by  the  Third  Artillery,  which  poured  a 
terrific  stream  of  shells  into  the  trenches  where  the  enemy  was  in  force,  and 
from  which  a  hot  fire  was  returned.     The  Utah  battery 
quickly  joined  in  the  action,  followed  in  half  an  hour  by     Ope g'^,°f  the 
a  charge  of  the  South  Dakota,  Nebraska  and  Kansas  regi- 
ments that  swept  along  both  sides  of  the  railroad  over  open  fields,  through 


SERIOUS   BATTLE   WITH  THE   FILIPINOS.  499 

thickets  and  across  streams  to  the  main  trenches  south  of  the  city.  The 
insurgents'  earthworks  were  well  constructed,  and  had  they  been  held  by  a 
thousand  such  fighting  soldiers  as  our  own  might  have  repulsed  a  force  ten 
times  as  great.  But  the  Filipinos,  while  brave,  lack  the  genius  and  the 
indomitable,  irresistible  dash  of  trained  veterans,  and  also  lacking  modern 
firearms  they  could  not  long  withstand  the  charges  of  our  troops  and  the 
hail  of  bursting  shells  that  broke  so  fiercely  over  them.  The  conflict  was 
so  impetuous  that  the  enemy  became  demoralized  after  an  hour's  fighting, 
abandoned  their  trenches  and  took  to  the  cover  of  adjacent  thickets,  from 
which  they  harassed  Hale's  brigade. 

Seeing  that  our  troops  would  soon  pour  into  the  city,  the  insurgents 
decided  to  destroy  what  they  could  no  longer  defend.  The  torch  was  accord- 
ingly applied  to  the  palace,  where  for  several  months  the  Filipino  congress 
had  held  its  sessions,  and  from  which  Aguinaldo  had  fulminated  so  many 
boastful  pronunciamentos.  When  our  battalions  poured  through  the  streets 
the^.  found  it  more  necessary  to  combat  flames  than  to  do  battle  with  the 
insurgents,  who  were  now  fugitives.  The  fiery  scene  was  an  appalling  one. 
Hundreds  of  terrified,  panic-stricken  Chinamen  were  shrieking  for  mercy 
and  striving  to  save  their  effects,  while  women  and  children  were  crying  and 
piercing  the  air  with  appeals  for  help.  Down  the  main  streets  our  victorious 
troops  charged,  near  the  end  of  which  they  encountered  a  barricade,  behind 
which  a  few'  insurgents  lay  concealed,  to  become  sacrifices  in  covering  .he 
retreat  of  the  main  body.  These  delivered  three  volleys  into  the  Kan  ,ans' 
ranks,  and  then  broke  into  retreat,  followed  by  their  assailants,  at  the  head 
of  which  was  Colonel  Funston,  'who,  swinging  his  hat,  leaped  over  the  bar- 
ricade and  cheered  his  men  to  pursue.  Having  routed  the  enemy  from  this 
point,  the  Kansans  advanced  to  another  part  of  the  town,  where  they  rescued 
several  Chinamen  who  had  been  driven  to  the  woods  and  whose  lives  were  in 
the  greatest  peril  from  threatening  Filipinos. 

When  the  -enemy  had  abandoned  their  capital  a  scene  of  desolation 
marked  the  place  which  two  hours  before  had  been  a  city  of  some  preten- 
sion to  elegance.  The  Presidencia  was  a  building  of 
The  Last  Sight  considerable  architectural  beauty,  and  its  decorations  and 

Fmpinos  furnishings  were  finer  than  one  might  expect  to  see  among 
a  semi-civilized  people,  especially  among  such  as  they  are 
mistakenly  represented  to  be.  The  Filipinos  had  a  profound  admiration 
for  this  stately  building,  which  was  to  them  the  very  enshrinement  of 
their  hopes  of  independence.  It  must,  therefore,  have  been  with  deepest 
sorrow  that  they  applied  the  torch,  to  preserve  it  from  profanation  by  their 
enemies,  and  we  may  imagine  their  grief  when  fleeing  for  their  lives  they 


500  SERIOUS   BATTLE   WITH   THE   FILIPINOS. 

looked   back   to   see  boiling   clouds  of  sinoke,  riven  by  flashes  of  flames, 
that    marked    the   now   desolated    spot   where   their    once   proud   capitol- 
had  stood. 

After  occupying  Malolos  our  troops  addressed  themselves  to  the  work  of 
subduing  the  fire  that  was  destroying  the  main  part  of  the  city.  So  ener- 
getic were  the  measures  taken,  and  plenty  of  water  being  providentially  at 
hand,  that  most  of  the  town  was  saved,  and  few  of  the  large,  important 
buildings  were  seriously  damaged.  But  the  capitol  having  been  reduced 
to  ruins,  our  flag  was  raised  in  the  public  square,  where  it  now  floats  tri- 
umphantly. 

Our  losses  were  strangely  few,  due  to  the  poor  marksmanship  of  the 
insurgents,  who  are  unfamiliar  with  firearms,  and  who,  while  not  wanting  in 
courage,  are  very  excitable,  which  causes  them  to  fire  at  random  and  without 
discipline.  As  they  retreated  from  the  city  they  took  the  precaution  to 
destroy  several  miles  of  railroad  track  so  as  to  prevent  pursuit.  The  rails 
were  not  only  removed  from  the  roadbed,  but  were  taken  into  thickets,  or 
thrown  into  streams,  where  they  cannot  be  recovered,  so  that  several  months 
must  elapse  before  they  can  be  renewed,  as  it  will  be  necessary  to  import  new 
rails  from  England  or  America.  The  whole  route  of  retreat  was  also  devastated, 
and  for.  some  miles  out  of  the  city  the  line  was  distinctly  marked  by  camp 
equipage  left  behind  by  the  fugitives.  But  though  defeated  at  every  point 
the  Filipinos  never  lost  their  determination  to  continue  their  resistance. 
When  it  became  evident  that  it  was  impossible  to  hold  the  city  against  the 
Americans,  several  of  the  prominent  natives  pleaded  with  the  authorities  to 
surrender  the  place  and  thus  save  many*  lives  and  avoid  destruction  of 
property,  but  so  far  from  granting  their  prayers  the  Filipino  officers  ordered 
the  immediate  execution  of  the  petitioners,  by  which  act  they  demonstrated 
their  determination  to  contest  to  the  last  extremity,  thus  plainly  indicating 
their  purpose  to  resort  to  guerrilla  warfare  when  no  other  means  of  resistance 
shall  be  left  to  them. 

After  the  occupation  of  Malolos  by  our  troops  the  insurgents  moved 
north  and  west,  and  the  general  belief  was  for  a  while  that  they  had  scat- 
tered among  the  hills  of  North  Luzon.     The  rainy  season, 
too,  was  now  near  at  hand  and  a  suspension  of  hostilities 
was  for  a  while  contemplated  ;  but  the  war  department  at 
Washington,  acting  upon  the  advice  of  General  Otis,  decided  to  continue  the 
campaign  despite  the  probable  season  difficulties,  so  as  to  afford  no  time  for 
recuperation  or  reorganization  to  the  demoralized  Filipinos.     Accordingly, 
before  the  expiration  of  the  service  of  the  volunteers,  General   Mac  Arthur 
moved  rapidly  northward  with  the  design  of  attacking  some  4,000  insurgents 


SERIOUS   BATTLE  WITH   THE   FILIPINOS.  501 

that  v/ete  Known  to  be  strongly  intrenched  at  Calumpit.  The  march  was 
swift  from  April  20,  and  on  the  25th  Wheaton's  brigade  reached  the  city, 
upon  which  they  made  a  direct  attack,  supported  by  General  Hale  on  the 
flank.  A  stream  of  some  size  lay  between  the  troops  and  the  city,  spanned 
by  a  bridge  that  had  been  partially  destroyed.  The  first  to  cross  was  Colonel 
Fred  Funston,  who,  calling  for  volunteers,  accepted  five  out  of  the  hundreds 
that  promptly  offered.  These  crawled  along  the  spans  of  the  bridge  as  far 
as  possible,  exposed  to  the  fire  of  the  enemy,  until  they  reached  the  broken 
part,  when  they  dropped  into  the  water  and  swam  the  remaining  distance. 
Gaining  the  bank  they  rushed  upon  the  startled  Filipinos,  and  with  no  other 
weapons  than  revolvers  drove  a  squad  of  insurgents  out  of  their  trenches 
and  occupied  them  themselves.  The  army  crossed  soon  after  and  a  hot  fight 
followed,  in  which  the  Filipinos  contested  stubbornly,  but  were  finally 
routed  and  driven  out  of  the  city,  but  not  until  they  had  destroyed  much  of 
it  by  fire.  Our  loss  in  the  engagement  was  six  killed  and  twelve  wounded. 

Two  days  before  the  fight  at  Calumpit  a  sharp  fight  took  place  near 
Qtiingua,  six  miles  northeast  of  Malolos,  that  proved  to  be  one  of  the  most 
fatal  actions  of  the  war,  though  the  battle  lasted  only  an  hour.  The 
Filipinos  were  beaten  back,  but  not  until  our  forces  sustained  a  loss  of  nine 
killed  and  forty-four  wounded,  among  the  former  being  Colonel  John  M. 
Stotzenburg,  of  the  First  Nebraska,  and  Lieutenant  August  C.  Nisson. 
Almost  at  the  same  time  a  party  of  sixteen  sailors  from  the  "  Yorktown  " 
that  had  been  sent  ashore  at  Baler,  island  of  Mindanao,  in  command  of  Lieu- 
tenant J.  C.  Gilmore,  to  relieve  a  Spanish  garrison,  were  surprised  and  made 
captive  by  a  large  body  of  insurgents.  They  were  treated  well,  however, 
but  held  for  ransom  or  exchange  upon  terms  that  might  promise  to  be  of 
distinct  advantage  to  the  insurgent  cause. 

On  April  28  Aguinaldo  sent  two  of  his  confidential  emissaries,  Colonel 
Arguelles  and  Lieutenant  Jose  Bermal,  to  treat  with  General  Otis  for  terms 
of  peace.  Their  proposals  were  limited  to  request  for  a 

.,...,  Overtures  for  Peace. 

truce  of  three  months,  evidently  with  the  purpose  of 
securing  time  in  which  to  reorganize  the  insurgent  army,  though  their 
pretence  was  that  this  time  was  required  in  which  to  assemble  the  Filipinos 
congress,  which  alone  had  authority  to  confirm  peace  terms.  General  Otis 
denied  the  commissioner's  request,  which  was  repeated  on  May  2  and  again 
on  May  4,  but  with  no  better  success.  The  army  was  in  fit  condition,  not- 
withstanding the  excessive  heat,  and  a  resolute  movement  was  made  to 
drive  the  insurgents  from  all  their  strongholds  in  North  Luzon,  back  upon 
the  hill  tribes  that  were  known  to  be  implacable  enemies  of  the  Filipinos. 
In  pursuance  of  this  purpose  General  MacArthur's  forces  on  May  4  advanced 


502  vSERIOUS   BATTLE   WITH   THE   FILIPINOS. 

against  St.  Thomas,  which  was  captured  after  a  hard  fight,  in  which  Colonel 
Funston  again  distinguished  himself  by  intrepid  daring  and  sagacious 
generalship,  such  as  has  won  the  admiration  of  the  world.  In  this  engage- 
ment the  enemy  was  routed  with  considerable  loss,  and  left  behind  50,000 
bushels  of  rice  which  Colonel  Funston  secured  in  good  condition. 

Colonel  Fred  Funston,  of  the  Twentieth  Kansas  Volunteers,  has  been 

brought   into  prominence  by  such   exhibitions  of   heroism  as  make  him 

probably  the  most  picturesque  character  developed  by  the 

Sketch  of  Funston.    x  .  * 

war,  his  career  being  such  as  might  give  him  rank  with 

the  dashing  musketeers  of  Dumas'  heroic  romance.  He  is  son  of  ex- 
Congressman  Funston,  of  Kansas,  born  in  1863,  anc^  reared  to  deeds  of 
daring  and  adventure.  He  received  an  excellent  education  and  after  gradu- 
ating took  a  position  in  the  agricultural  department  at  Washington,  and 
because  of  his  superior. knowledge  of  botany  and  forestry  was  twice  sent  to 
Alaska  to  collect  botanical  specimens.  On  his  last  trip  he  lost  his  two 
companions  and  made  a  perilous  journey  down  the  Yukon,  a  distance  of 
1,500  miles,  reappearing  after  he  was  long  supposed  to  have  perished. 
During  the  Cuban  rebellion  he  served  under  Generals  Gomez  and  Garcia  as 
captain  of  artillery.  He  was  once  captured  by  the  Spaniards  but  secured 
his  release  by  a  strategy  and  later  was  shot  through  both  lungs  while  leading 
a  charge.  His  horse  was  killed  at  the  same  time  and,  falling  on  him,  broke 
his  right  leg.  He  was  rescued  by  his  Cuban  companions  and  taken  to  a 
hospital,  and  later  brought  to  the  United  States.  After  several  months  he 
recovered,  and  on  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  between  the  United  States 
and  Spain  he  offered  his  services  to  his  country  and  was  commissioned 
colonel  of  volunteers.  He  was  sent  to  San  Francisco  with  the  troops 
detailed  for  Manila,  and  during  his  short  stay  there  married  an  excellent 
lady  who,  joining  her  fortunes  with  those  of  her  adventurous  husband, 
sailed  with  him  for  the  Philippines.  He  has  on  so  many  occasions  exhibited 
bravery  and  sagacity  of  such  high  order  that,  on  May  2,  the  President  pro- 
moted him  to  be  brigadier-general  of  volunteers  and  the  people  of  his  native 
state  (Kansas)  sent  him  a  magnificent  sword  as  a  testimonial  of  their  admira- 
tion. General  Funstou,  though  one  of  the  greatest  of  fighters,  is  the  smallest 
man  of  his  regiment,  weighing  less  than  one  hundred  pounds. 

The  capitulation  of  St.  Thomas  was  followed  on  May  5  by  an  advance 

against  San  Fernando,  but  finding  this  place  evacuated  General   Lawton's 

command  engaged  800  insurgents   under  General  Rio  del 

Rafa^'  ^nd^ai    a     P*'ar  anc^   Colonel   Gregario,  near  San   Rafael,  whom  he 

defeated  after  a  hard  fight.      On   the    next  day,    May  6, 

General  Lawton  attacked  Balinag  where  he  found  2,000  Filipinos  strongly 


SERIOUS  BATTLE  WITH  THE  FILIPINOS.  503 

intrenched  and  well  armed.  After  an  hour  of  desultory  firing  Brigadier- 
General  Funston  led  a  charge  against'  the  enemy  across  open  ground  and 
through  a  hail  of  bullets,  which  is  said  to  have  been  one  of  the  most  dashing 
and  daring  assaults  of  the  war.  Several  of  his  men  were  struck,  but  the 
thinning  of  ranks  did  not  halt  his  impetuosity  and  his  brave  men  swept 
down  upon  the  amazed  Filipinos  like  an  avalanche  that  carries  every  mov- 
able object  before  it.  The  enemy  made  a  stubborn  resistance  for  a  little 
while  but  their  courage  failed  them  when  the  American  Volunteers  poured 
over  the  intrenchments,  retreated  with  a  precipitancy  that  quickly  became  a 
route  ot  wildest  disorder,  leaving  arms  and  provisions  behind,  and  scattering 
in  the  jungle,  where  they  could  not  be  successfully  pursued.  In  this  engage- 
ment our  loss  was  ten  killed  and  thirty-three  wounded,  while  that  of  the 
enemy  is  supposed  to  have  been  many  times  as  great. 

It  is  useless  to  wonder  now  what  would  have  been  the  situation  in  tht 
Philippines  had  a  large  force  been  despatched  there  directly  after  Dewey's 
admirable  victory.  Our  main  concern  is  with  the  present  situation,  and, 
measuring  it  fairly,  it  appears  that  the  present  condition  of  affairs  is  most 
favorable,  and  that  if  Aguinaldo  had  staked  his  fortunes  upon  a  final  battle  our 
success  would  have  been  complete.  This,  of  course,  does  not  mean  that  the 
insurrection  would  be  immediately  stamped  out.  With  such  a  people 
spasmodic  and  more  or  less  intermittent  outbreaks  must  be  expecte^,  but  it 
is  probable  these  would  have  been  in  character  of  no  more  importance  than 
the  uprisings  of  our  Indians  ten  years  ago. 

While  the  wisdom  of  Philippine  annexation  is  a  disputed  question,  there 
can  be  no  difference  of  opinion  regarding  the  courage,  discipline  and  efficiency 
of  the  American  troops. 

Fighting  ambuscaded  and  intrenched  foes  in  a  strange  country,  under 
a  tropical  sun,  our  men  displayed  a  steadiness  under  fire  and  a  headlong 
bravery  when  the  charge  was  sounded  which  have  evoked  the  highest  praise 
from  European  experts  and  of  which  all  American  citizens  have  the  right  to 
be  proud.  That  the  operations  in  which  they  are  engaged  are  no  holiday 
warfare  is  proved  by  the  figures  of  the  casualties  since  February  4.  In  this 
time,  to  the  capture  of  Malolos,  the  number  of  killed  had  reached  167,  while 
900  had  been  wounded.  This  is  a  showing  which  cannot  be  contemplated 
without  keen  regret.  But  it  bears  unmistakable  evidence  to  the  fighting 
qualities  of  the  troops,  when  it  is  taken  in  conjunction  with  the  fact  that  not 
a  single  American  soldier,  gun  or  flag  was  captured  in  battle,  and  that 
the  enemy  had  been  driven  from  their  position  in  every  conflict. 


A     000  088  364     5 


